Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., chair of the House Republican Conference, says she wouldn't have let 2020 election results be certified on Jan. 6, 2021, had she been in then-Vice President Mike Pence's position.
In a Thursday interview on CNN, Stefanik criticized Pence's certification.
"I would not have done what Mike Pence did," she said. "I don't think that was the right approach. I specifically stand by what I said on the House floor."
Stefanik, who's viewed as a contender to be former President Donald Trump's vice president in 2024, voted against certifying election results in Pennsylvania after rioters breached the Capitol in 2021.
"There was unconstitutional overreach in states like Pennsylvania, and I think it's very important that we continue to stand up for the Constitution and have legal and secure elections, which we did not have in 2020," Stefanik told CNN.
Despite Trump's urging Pence to use his position as president of the Senate on Jan. 6, and not count election results from certain states, Pence declined, stating: "My considered judgment is that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.," The Hill reported.
Prior to the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Stefanik had told constituents in an open letter she planned to object to certifying Biden's wins in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
On Thursday, Stefanik was also asked if she's been part of any vetting process to be considered as Trump's 2024 vice president.
"I'm happy to be one of the top surrogates for President Trump," she replied.
"I voted for him in 2016. I was proud to work with him on his impeachment defense team when the first witch hunt started against him," she continued.
"I would [be] proud to serve in a Trump administration, but we have a lot to do. I have a lot of responsibility as the Republican conference chair."
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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