Stefanik won’t commit to certifying presidential election during interview

By Ashley Hupfl | The Daily Gazette, Schenectady

During an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” Sunday, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik refused to commit to whether she will vote to certify the 2024 presidential election results.

Stefanik, who is considered one of the top contenders to be former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the fall, repeatedly defended Trump’s allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election and accused Democrats of conspiring against Trump’s re-election efforts.

“We will see if this is a legal and valid election,” the Saratoga Republican said. “What we’re seeing so far is that Democrats are so desperate [that] they’re trying to remove President Trump from the ballot. That is a suppression of the American people, and the Supreme Court is taking that case up in February.”

Recent rulings in Maine and Colorado have barred Trump from appearing on the states’ primary ballots due to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Stefanik’s interview also came on the weekend of the three-year anniversary of the attack.

“I have concerns about the treatment of January 6th hostages. I have concerns. We have a role in Congress of oversight over our treatments of prisoners, and I believe that we’re seeing the weaponization of the federal government against not just President Trump, but we’re seeing it against conservatives. We’re seeing it against Catholics,” the Republican said. “And that’s one of the reasons why I’m so proud to serve in the Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Government, because the American people want answers. They want transparency.”

The New York State Senate passed an election reform package, which included measures to expand ballot drop-off locations and established voter suppression as a criminal offense.

“What we saw in 2020 was unconstitutional circumventing of the Constitution, not going through state legislatures when it comes to changing election…