Top British journalist Emily Maitlis has been told she “needs her head examined” by a Donald Trump ally who refused to back down on her repeated claims of election interference.
Maitlis was in the U.S. for her News Agent podcast when she sat down with former news anchor and Arizona state senate candidate Kari Lake, who grew visibly angrier during the four-minute interview yesterday that can be watched in full below.
Responding to a question from Maitlis on whether her actions had “played a part in inflaming the political rhetoric in this country” in the wake of the Trump assassination attempt, Lake called Maitlis a “sad case of a human being.”
“You are part of the fake news agenda and you are lying,” said Lake. “You don’t know a damn thing about Arizona, you don’t know a damn thing about our election and you sit there with a smirk on your face in England, in the UK, in a country that has been destroyed.”
Lake didn’t elaborate on the way in which the UK has been “destroyed.” Responding to a subsequent question on whether she will concede defeat in November’s election if Trump loses, Lake twice told Maitlis: “You need your head examined.”
Lake is being sued for claims of election interference by Stephen Richer, the top election official in Maricopa County, who has previously said his life has been turned “upside down” by her claims.
But Lake doubled down yesterday, saying she still believes the election was “run fraudulently” while refusing to elaborate due to being “in the middle of a lawsuit.” In March, her legal team conceded she won’t try to prove that her claims were true or that she had a reasonable basis to believe they were, but instead asked a Maricopa county judge to set a hearing for a “default judgment.” She has since denied she has “conceded anything,” instead saying she “simply cut to the chase.”
Lake threw her weight behind Trump yesterday, telling Maitlis the media has been “tearing him apart” for the past eight years. “Imagine a smear campaign about you for eight years, pretty soon no one would like you,” she said to Maitlis.
Maitlis has been in the U.S. interviewing people across the political spectrum following the assassination attempt. The former BBC anchor, known globally as the Prince Andrew interviewer, helms one of Britain’s most successful news podcasts.
She has riled up U.S. politicians in the past. Last year, she was told to “f*ck off” by Marjorie Greene after pressing her over her promotion of a conspiracy that “state-of-the-art Jewish space lasers” were being used to shoot down Santa Claus. Greene spoke earlier this week at the Republican National Convention, where Trump and VP pick J.D. Vance were confirmed.
“Can you answer the question?”
“Emily, you need your head examined.”
Key Trump ally Kari Lake, who is being sued for repeated false claims of election interference, doubles down.@maitlis | @GlobalPlayer pic.twitter.com/QwN4OSRfv8
— The News Agents (@TheNewsAgents) July 17, 2024
The post British Anchor Emily Maitlis Told She “Needs Her Head Examined” & Is “Sad Case Of A Human Being” By Trump Ally Being Sued Over Claims Of Election Interference appeared first on Deadline.
