Elise Stefanik races away from a Jan. 6 'hostage' question

WASHINGTON — Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) literally ran away from Raw Story's reporter, who was asking her about the comments she made about Jan. 6 attackers.

In a lighthearted conversation with a reporter, Stefanik was asked about being a possible Donald Trump running mate. Her response was silence. The two walked together "awkwardly" through the Capitol tunnel, Raw Story's Matt Laslo relayed.

There was a single vote in the House Thursday and members meandered on and off the floor. Some walked through the Cannon House Office Building tunnel, casually shooting the breeze with reporters.

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At least one member has been caught pretending to be on his phone to dodge questions. Stefanik merely walked in silence.

"Do you think there are still Jan. 6 hostages?" Raw Story asked.

That's when she whipped out her cell phone.

"I'm going to vote. This is about to close," Stefanik complained.

In reality, they were only about halfway through a 15-minute vote.

Stefanik raced away, putting her cell phone away once she fled from the reporter.

Ahead of the vote, about five other lawmakers fearlessly spoke to Raw Story about Taylor Swift, George Santos' ethics questions and even the recent UFO hearings.

Stefanik told "Meet the Press" last month that she considers those attackers from Jan. 6 who are in prison akin to "hostages." It caused an uproar in her home state as actual hostages were kidnapped by the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas in Israel. NBC sought her out to ask about that, but never heard back.

"The reality is that most of the alleged rioters, particularly those charged with misdemeanors like parading through the Capitol, have been released pending trial," the NBC report explained after her controversial comments. "The overwhelming majority of those incarcerated have either pleaded guilty to crimes or been found guilty by juries. Others were ordered held pretrial because they presented a threat to the public, violated pre-trial conditions, or are considered a flight risk."