New York Rep. Elise Stefanik said she would not have certified the 2020 presidential election if she were vice president at the time.
Stefanik made her remarks during a Thursday appearance on CNN with host Kaitlan Collins.
Collins noted the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) had heard oral arguments earlier in the day from Colorado regarding the state's effort to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot in this November's election. Per Colorado's argument, Trump allegedly engaged in insurrection for his actions surrounding the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Stefanik and Collins sparred over inconsistent treatment of President Joe Biden and Trump for similarly retaining classified documents. The New York representative noted Biden had retained classified information from his time in the Senate which would not be covered under the Presidential Records Act.
The CNN host asked Stefanik what she would have done had she been vice president during the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
"I would not have done what Mike Pence did," she said of the former vice president. "I don't think that was the right approach. I specifically stand by what I said on the House floor, and I stand by my statement which was [that] there was unconstitutional overreach in states like Pennsylvania."
Stefanik said it was important to continue standing up for the Constitution and push for legal and secure elections, adding the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.
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Collins countered Stefanik's answer by asking how she would respond to Vice President Kamala Harris rejecting the certification of a potential Trump victory.
The New York representative reiterated that she believed the 2020 presidential election was not "constitutionally legal."
"It was unconstitutional when they were circumventing state legislatures [and] unilaterally changing election law," Stefanik said. "I stand by my statements on the House floor, and again, tens of millions of Americans agree with that statement and have questions about the validity and constitutionality."
Collins spoke over the latter half of Stefanik's response, claiming Americans questioned the results of the election because Republicans had "sowed doubt."
"When it comes to this election, we are seeing Democrats trying to remove President Trump from the ballot," Stefanik continued. "That is not constitutional. That is not a legal and safe [and] secure election."
"That is literally what is being discussed at the Supreme Court today because radical leftists can't stand the fact that Donald Trump continues to skyrocket in the polls, and Joe Biden continues to plummet," she added.
Stefanik said if Collins got "outside of CNN" and talked to "hardworking American people," they would seek new leadership in Trump.
