GOP rep. calls out Elise Stefanik’s 'totally wrong' Jan. 6 claim: 'So completely incorrect'

During a February 8 interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) argued that former Vice President Mike Pence should not have confirmed the 2020 Electoral College results on January 6, 2021 — a statement that has drawn scathing criticism from MSNBC's Steve Benen and others.

Stefanik, who is clearly hoping to be former President Donald Trump's running mate if he wins the 2024 GOP nomination, told CNN's Kaitlan Collins, "I would not have done what Mike Pence did. I don't think that was the right approach."

But conservative Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), who voted to confirm Joe President's Electoral College victory during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, pushed back against Stefanik's statement during a Friday afternoon, February 9 appearance on CNN.

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When CNN's Dana Bash asked Crenshaw if statements like the one Stefanik made to Collins "worry" him, the Texas congressman responded, "The only reason I'm not worried is because what she's saying is so completely incorrect. The Constitution gives you no power — you being the vice president — gives you no power to decertify the election. It's very clear. I mean, we could pull it up on the screen and read it. Mike Pence read it, and he came to the conclusion that he has no power to decertify (an) election."

Crenshaw continued, "So, this idea that there even is this mechanism for Congress to certify or decertify an election is just — it's totally wrong."

Bash offered Crenshaw a scenario: What if, at some point in the future, a vice president did what Stefanik is promoting — and refused to accept a presidential election's outcome?

The Republican congressman responded, "If you did see that scenario, that vice president could say whatever they wanted right there at the gavel. They could say whatever they wanted, and it wouldn't matter because it's not true. The Constitution simply doesn't allow it."

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Crenshaw continued, "There's no procedure for it…. It's all based on a lie that Congress has the power to certify or decertify an election. That is not a power that the Congress has. It is very clear in the Constitution. The vice president shall open the electoral votes and read them. and the Congress shall listen. That's it. Like, that's all it says. It doesn't say anything about certifying."

READ MORE: 'What a disgrace': Conservative slams Elise Stefanik's 'shameless' and 'craven' lies about Jan. 6

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