Phoenix, Arizona - Jeff Dewit, the former chair of the Arizona Republican Party, resigned after newly released audio showed him attempting to bribe politician Kari Lake.

On Tuesday, the Daily Mail leaked the audio recording where Dewit was heard asking Lake to name a price for her to stay out of politics for two years instead of running for Senate.

Lake was then heard insisting that she could not be bought, adding, "This is not about money, it's about our country."

In a statement released Wednesday, Dewit announced his resignation and confirmed it was his voice on the recording. He claimed it was "selectively edited audio" from a 10-month-old private conversation that was "taken out of context" and used as a "setup."

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He went on to explain that the comments were made while Lake was employed by him, and their conversation was an "open, unguarded exchange between friends in the living room of her house."

"Since our conversation where I advised Lake to postpone her campaign and aim for the Governor's position in two years, she has been on a mission to destroy me," Dewit claimed. "It was a suggestion made in good faith, believing it could benefit both her future prospects and the party's overall strategy.

"The release of our conversation by Lake confirms a disturbing tendency to exploit private interactions for personal gain and increases concerns about her habit of secretly recording personal and private conversations."

In 2022, Lake famously ran for Governor of Arizona and made a name for herself as a staunch, far-right MAGA Republican and vocal ally of former President Donald Trump.

Since she was defeated by Democrat challenger Katie Hobbs, Lake has long maintained the election was stolen from her, similar to claims made by Trump regarding the 2020 presidential elections.

In response to Dewit's claims, Lake's campaign told Fox News that "Thankfully, Kari is an extremely ethical person who rejected DeWit’s multiple attempts to offer her money and corporate board seats in exchange for Kari not running for public office."

"It is unfortunate that Dewit hasn't recognized how unethical his behavior was and still hasn't apologized to Arizona Republicans," the campaign said, adding that the GOP "must be relieved to have his resignation."