Today, Salon reported that Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake has spent thousands of campaign dollars to Kenneth Ulibarri, “a repeat violent offender who pleaded guilty after the DOJ accused him of trying to hire a hitman to kill an FBI informant and an unrelated state charge of battery on a peace officer.”
While Lake has repeatedly heralded her public safety bonafides, that flies in the face of her personal and financial support to someone charged with assaulting a police officer and attempting to kill an FBI informant. Watch here:
Salon: GOP candidate says “back the blue” — but campaigns with felon who plotted to kill an FBI informant
By Igor Derysh | February 25, 2022
Key Points:
- “Donald Trump’s pick to be the next governor of Arizona, Kari Lake, a former local television reporter with no political experience, praises cops, touts “back the blue” on her campaign website and vows to increase resources to tackle violent criminals. She’s also hit the campaign trail multiple times with a convicted felon who was accused by the Justice Department (DOJ) of trying to kill an FBI informant.”
- “According to a finance report recently amended by Lake’s campaign, the former TV news anchor who has repeatedly echoed Trump’s election lies paid $2,000 to Kenneth Ulibarri, a repeat violent offender who pleaded guilty after the DOJ accused him of trying to hire a hitman to kill an FBI informant and an unrelated state charge of battery on a peace officer.”
- “Ulibarri also appeared at a roundtable event with Lake earlier this month, according to images posted to Instagram. It’s unclear how many campaign events in total Ulibarri has appeared in. Ulibarri and Lake’s campaign did not respond to questions from Salon.”
- “Ulibarri in 2019 pleaded guilty to a 2014 charge of battery upon a peace officer, New Mexico court records show. In 2006, he was arrested on a felony drug warrant after he was found with a known associate of a man charged with killing a New Mexico sheriff, according to KRQE.”
- “He was also convicted in 2014 on a charge of driving under the influence, according to state records. In 2000, he pleaded guilty to receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle and criminal damage to property. In 1999, he and others were accused of beating another inmate at a New Mexico jail, according to the Albuquerque Journal.”
- “Ulibarri was also charged with two counts of assault on a peace officer in 2002, though those charges were later dropped, and hit with a litany of drug offenses and evidence tampering charges between 2002 and 2013 that were also dropped.”
Read the full report here.
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Published: Feb 25, 2022 | Last Modified: Mar 1, 2022