Kari Lake, a senior advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media and a prominent MAGA ally, has recounted confronting CNN anchor Jake Tapper as attendees were rushed out of the White House Correspondents' Dinner following a shooting incident. The event, held Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, was plunged into chaos when a gunman opened fire, prompting an evacuation.
Lake, 56, told Newsmax hours after the shooting that she did not hesitate to approach Tapper during the evacuation. “I walked out right next to Jake Tapper and looked him in the eye,” she said. “And I said, ‘How dare you? You have caused so much division in this country pushing lies. We’re not going to call it gaslighting anymore — you’ve lied to the people. How dare you do that?’”
In a post on X, Lake elaborated on her actions, writing: “These reporters have spent a decade spreading absolute lies about President Trump. They share some of the blame for what happened tonight. As a mother, I’m exhausted by it. I couldn’t stay silent and walk out pretending someone like Jake Tapper is one of the good guys.” Tapper did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment regarding Lake’s remarks.
Beyond her confrontation with Tapper, Lake also criticized the security measures at the dinner. “I can’t believe how lax the security was at the White House correspondents dinner tonight,” she posted on X. “Upon entering, nobody asked to visibly INSPECT my ticket nor asked for my photo identification. All one had to do was flash what appeared to be a ticket and they were fine with that.” She added: “When you consider you are entering a roomful of fake news media — 90% of whom hate the President you would think they would have better security... On the way out, I called-out a bunch of the disgusting Media who have been pushing hatred toward President Trump for years. They are a big part of the discord in this country.”
The shooting left one Secret Service agent with noncritical injuries. Authorities identified the suspected shooter as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, California. He is in custody and is set to be arraigned on Monday after being tackled while allegedly firing a weapon.
Lake has a history of criticizing mainstream media and alleging bias against former President Donald Trump. Last year, as the newly appointed head of Voice of America, she attempted to fire over 500 employees in what was seen as a dismantling of the agency. However, a federal judge ruled her appointment illegal last month and reversed the layoffs.
