Rep. Dan Crenshaw balked at House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik’s claim that she would have decertified the 2020 election had she been vice president at the time, calling the assertion “completely incorrect.”
Mr. Crenshaw, Texas Republican, argued that the office of the vice president does not even have the constitutional authority to decertify an election.
“The only reason I’m not worried is because what she’s saying is so completely incorrect,” Mr. Crenshaw told CNN on Friday. “The Constitution gives you no power — you, being the vice president — gives you no power to decertify the election. It’s very clear.”
He continued, “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. The word ‘certify’ is not even in there. So, this idea that there even is this mechanism for Congress to certify or decertify an election is just, it’s totally wrong.”
The lawmaker’s criticism of Rep. Stefanik came after the No. 3 House Republican claimed that had she been in former Vice President Pence’s shoes, she would have rejected the electoral vote on Jan. 6, 2021.
At the time, former President Donald Trump asked Mr. Pence to decertify the election, which the former vice president said he didn’t have the authority to do. Mr. Trump contends that Mr. Pence had that authority as president of the Senate.
Ms. Stefanik, the New Yorker who is on a shortlist of names floated to be Mr. Trump’s running mate, voted against certifying Pennsylvania’s election results on Jan. 6, but did vote in favor of certifying Arizona’s electoral votes. She argued that there was “unconstitutional overreach in states like Pennsylvania.”
Her stance comes after she and Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican, introduced a resolution this week saying that Mr. Trump “did not engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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