Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake (R) held a press conference in Phoenix to address the recently unsealed divorce records of her opponent, Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ). Ron Hansen, a reporter for the Arizona Republic, said the media reaction has been that it was "a nothing burger," prompting Lake to call out the media's lack of attention to the nature of the Arizona Congressman's divorce and accusing them of being "in bed with the Democrats."
"I have nothing to apologize to Ruben Gallego for. I'm not the one who walked out on my wife when she was just days before giving birth & then demanded she pay his Attorney fees. The media is telling me his records were a nothing burger. I think they said a lot about Ruben's character. Ruben blindsided his first wife. She had no idea the divorce was coming. He walked out the door & let her deliver that baby alone. It says so much about our media that they will defend a man for acting like that," said Lake on X (formerly Twitter).
I have nothing to apologize to Ruben Gallego for.
I'm not the one who walked out on my wife when she was just days before giving birth & then demanded she pay his Attorney fees.
The media is telling me his records were a nothing burger. I think they said a lot about Ruben's… pic.twitter.com/xJRXmmMUX2
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) October 18, 2024
As Lake's post suggests, Rep. Gallego did indeed divorce his first wife, current Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, in 2016, within days of her giving birth to their child. The Arizona Congressman filed to have the records sealed shortly after filing, which the Washington Free Beacon fought to have unsealed for the past year.
The Gallego campaign has demanded Lake apologize for highlighting the issue and insinuating there may have been domestic violence (which was proven false).
However, Lake reiterated in her press conference that she had nothing to apologize for.
"I did not walk out on anybody. I did not leave my spouse in a vulnerable state. I think, actually, he should apologize for his behavior. And it is unfortunate that nobody is covering this," said Lake.
Additionally, she chastised the media for saying, "There was nothing here. You said that this was just a nothing burger. 'What is the big deal?' What is the big deal? A man walks out on his wife, serves her divorce papers [and] broadsides her. She has no idea this is coming."
"I am sorry that you guys do not think that is a big deal. I think that is a pretty big deal. It tells me a lot about the character of that man. She had no idea this was coming. Hit her like a ton of bricks. She had to go in and deliver that baby alone," Lake continued.
Moreover, she suggested that "if I had something that revealed such a massive character flaw like that, you guys would be all over it. It is really sad; it is despicable. You, the media, are so in bed with Democrats right now; it is really shocking. I think there is a time for soul-searching [and] the time is now, guys."