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This Emily Maitlis interview is being dubbed a ‘masterclass in holding politicians to account’

Emily Maitlis’s interview with a prominent Donald Trump ally at the Republican National Convention is being hailed as a “masterclass in holding politicians to account”.

Arizona state senate candidate Kari Lake grew visibly angrier during the four-minute interview yesterday which 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”, but it comes on the back of Donald Trump’s candidate for US vice president describing the UK under Labour as the first “truly Islamist” country with a nuclear weapon.

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.”

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Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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