Kari Lake drops an embarrassing bombshell that blows up in her face

It was billed as an exposé, a revelation about Katie Hobbs said to be so appalling that Kari Lake announced she would wait a day to announce it.

“I just got some really painful, hurtful news about @Katie Hobbs,” a clearly thrilled Lake tweeted on Monday. “My team is triple-confirming its true. Tomorrow I will be releasing. Bad stuff!”

On Tuesday, Lake dropped her bomb, announcing that her opponent, Hobbs, fought to keep the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution out of Arizona’s classrooms.

Well, goodness.

That would be terrible. If it was true, that is.

All this proves is that Kari Lake can't read a bill

Still, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Let’s let Lake strut her stuff, in her three-minute video entitled “Katie Hobbs Exposed: Anti-American and Un-Arizonan”.

Cue Lake:

“The Pledge of Allegiance, our National Anthem, our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, she solemnly says, as music plays softly in the background and images of a fluttering American flag and the Founding Fathers flit across the screen. “I was shocked to learn that my opponent, Katie Hobbs, fought to keep these American cornerstones out of the classroom.”

“Growing up in America, it was an absolute no brainer for you and me to learn these things in schools," she continued. “Hobbs does not want that same education for our children. Katie Hobbs fought to keep these pillars of our great nation out of the classroom.

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"You heard that right. As a legislator, Hobbs actually voted to block the Pledge of Allegiance, our National Anthem, our Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and even the Mayflower Compact from being taught to the next generation of Americans right here in Arizona.”

Lake, in her video, even showed a document proving that Hobbs … did no such thing.

The only thing this video proves is that Kari Lake doesn’t know how to read a bill.

The bill simply added the state motto to the list

In 2018, the Arizona Legislature passed a bill addressing various American history materials that can be read or posted in Arizona’s classrooms. State law already allowed the pledge, the anthem, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and yes, even the Mayflower Compact to be read or posted, along with various other foundational documents.

Senate Bill 1289 simply added the state motto (“Ditat Deus,” or God Enriches) to that list and clarified the wording of the already approved national motto (“In God We Trust”).

Then-Sen. Hobbs voted against the bill, as did every other Democrat. Her campaign couldn't explain why though critics at the time objected to bringing religion into publicly funded classrooms.

What is clear is that Lake is quick to jump to erroneous conclusions and doesn’t know even the basics of lawmaking. Proposed changes to state law are written in UPPER CASE (often in blue type) while existing portions of the law are in regular type.

All that “painful, hurtful” news about Hobbs fighting to keep our children from repeating the pledge or learning that “All men are create equal” or that even politicians have a First Amendment right to display their absolute ignorance?

It’s a figment of Lake’s fevered imagination.

After this column was posted online, Lake took to social media to insist she was right, pointing to two other bills. Neither had anything to do with posting the pledge, etc., in classrooms.

Maybe Lake needs a crash course in civics

Hobbs’ spokesman, Joe Wolf, like everybody I talked to, was taken aback by Lake’s phony “revelation.”

“It demonstrates how unserious of a candidate Kari Lake is,” Wolf said. “She can’t read the bill. She can’t read the bill. If you’re governor you’re probably going to have to end up reading a few of the bills you’re signing.”

Count longtime Republican strategist Chuck Coughlin among those astonished by Lake’s ignorance of the basic workings of state government.

“It’s disappointing that somebody that’s running for governor can’t read state statute, especially for someone who claimed they triple-checked their facts,” he said.

Disappointing, but apparently not disqualifying.

Lake’s red-white-and-blue – but not actually true – video, which she asked people to spread around, was retweeted and "liked" thousands upon thousands of times within a matter of hours, as her supporters expressed their admiration for her insight and patriotism and even urged her to run for president.

The fact that what she said wasn't true? Since 2020, when has that mattered?

“We are blessed to live in the greatest country in history,” Lake said, at the conclusion of her video, “and as your governor I will ensure that the next generation is taught well.”

Or at least given a crash course in basic civics.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kari Lake drops an embarrassing bombshell that blows up in her face