Kari Lake’s attorney is skipping the disciplinary hearing as the Arizona State Bar seeks to suspend his law license

Blehm and Olsen both face disciplinary action for making false claims about illegal ballots in Lake’s failed challenge to the results of the 2022 gubernatorial race, which she lost by more than 17,000 votes to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.

Still, Lake, a Republican now running for U.S. Senate, never conceded the race lost two exams And several appeals in their effort to overturn the election results.

Although Blehm refused to appear, Downie decided to proceed with the hearing because he had not formally informed the court that he would not appear – and offered no real explanation as to why he would not appear.

Instead, Blehm emailed the Arizona Attorney General’s Office on Sunday evening, informing them that he had to “leave for Colorado” on Monday and would not be able to attend in person. Blehm did not directly inform the court of the email address he was to use for correspondence about the case, but instead copied a court employee who is currently on vacation.

The court only learned of his email from the prosecution the day before the hearing, Downie said.

During Tuesday’s hearing, lead bar attorney Hunter Perlmeter pointed out that Blehm’s actions over the past 10 days were evidence that he had not taken responsibility for his actions or admitted to lying.

“He filed a countersuit against the district attorney’s office in this disciplinary matter without any legal authority,” Perlmeter told Downie, adding that on a talk show, Blehm referred to the Arizona Supreme Court’s order, which serves as the basis for the disciplinary hearing, as ” “somehow” referred to the political compromise.”

Because Blehm had lied in court, failed to appear at the hearing, and neither accepted responsibility nor showed remorse for his actions, the Bar Association recommended that his license to practice law be suspended for six months and one day.

“The Arizona Bar wants to use my own words against me,” Blehm posted the following on social media site X on May 20, the day before the hearing. “They found me guilty without a trial and expect me to sit down and shut up. Bar associations used to support free speech… They don’t like that I refuse to bend down and kiss the ring. If they are concerned about my dignity, they have knocked on the wrong door.”

Downie called on prosecutors to justify such a lengthy proposed suspension, and she compared it to the punishment meted out earlier this year to election lawyer and Republican state Rep. Alexander Kolodin, who was sentenced for his role in lawsuits filed against him in 2020 was put on probation. Among other things, Kolodin was an attorney in the infamous “Kraken” lawsuit, which made implausible and evidence-free claims of massive election fraud.

Perlmeter responded that, unlike Blehm, Kolodin was never accused of lying to the courts and was credited with having a cooperative attitude throughout the disciplinary process.

Kolodin also voluntarily reached an agreement At the bar, he accepted a suspended sentence, paid a fine and agreed to take ethics courses for continuing legal education.

Downie also advised the Bar’s legal counsel that she wanted to ensure that the court did not impose a more drastic sentence than in other cases simply because the case in question was election-related.

“This case has nothing to do with politics,” Perlmeter said, adding that the bar association was asking for the same punishment it would recommend for a lawyer who knowingly lied to a judge in a family law or personal injury case.

Perlmeter accused Blehm of participating in “obstruction of the disciplinary process” and emphasized his “refusal to recognize the illegality of his actions.”

Less than three hours after the disciplinary hearing ended, Blehm posted a video to X saying he could not attend the hearing and was on his way to take care of personal matters.

In the videothat was filmed in his car as he stopped on the side of the road, Blehm accused the bar association of calling for a six-month and one-day suspension to “isolate the most active MAGA lawyer in the state of Arizona throughout the 2024 election.”

In social media posts earlier this week, Blehm claimed the bar association was trying to disbar him. Perlmeter insisted at the hearing that the claim was a lie, and while it’s not technically true, the way it’s structured means the ban could last much longer than just six months – and possibly permanently.

Robert McWhirter, a criminal defense attorney and constitutional lawyer in Phoenix, explained that a suspension of six months and one day has far more serious consequences than a suspension of just six months. After a suspension of six months or less, the law license is automatically reinstated.

“A suspension for six months and a day is far worse than just six months,” he said. As a member of the state bar association’s governing board, McWhirter said he could not comment on Blehm’s case in detail.

Any lawyer suspended for six months and one day must reapply for admission to the bar and obtain approval from the Board of Character and Fitness before his or her license is reinstated.

“The only thing worse is a disbarment,” McWhirter said.

McWhirter added that the Character and Fitness Committee could decide not to reinstate the bar’s license and that it does not look favorably on lawyers who do not take responsibility for their actions or fail to appear at their disciplinary hearings.

In the video, which he posted shortly after the disciplinary hearing concluded, Blehm expressed his thoughts on the bar association’s recommendation for a longer suspension.

“I have to go back to the prosecutor’s office and grovel there,” Blehm said. “I have to bend a knee and kiss her gold ring and get her permission to practice law again.”

Downie, along with a panel including attorney George Riemer and Marsha Morgan Sitterley, a member of the public, heard the bar’s arguments Tuesday and will ultimately decide what punishment Blehm faces.

The court is required to make a decision within 30 days, but Downie said she does not expect to make a decision immediately.

As Blehm finished the video he posted to X after the hearing, he pointed his middle finger at the camera.

“If Bryan wants to practice law, he needs to sit down and shut up. Well, peace,” Blehm said.