Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) once had a reputation for being a traditional "business conservative" along the lines of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) or former New York Gov. George Pataki, and she was highly critical of Donald Trump during the 2016 election.
But in recent years, Stefanik has taken an ultra-MAGA turn and become a strident, combative Trump supporter.
Stefanik is reportedly on Trump's short list of possible running mates for the 2024 presidential race, and the congresswoman aggressively defended Trump when, on Tuesday, April 30, she announced that she had filed an ethics complaint against special counsel Jack Smith — who is prosecuting two federal criminal cases against the former president.
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On X, formerly Twitter, Stefanik attacked Smith's cases as "illegal election interference," posting a copy of her letter to the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility.
In a biting article published on April 30, The New Republic's Hafiz Rashid slams the complaint as an example of how "low" Stefanik is willing to "stoop" to show her devotion to Trump.
"Attacking Smith for interfering with the 2024 election is outrageous, especially since Smith is investigating and prosecuting Trump for interfering with the 2020 election," Rashid writes. "And Trump's entire legal strategy seems to be to delay proceedings so they don't affect his reelection campaign this time around. But perhaps it's no surprise that Stefanik has stooped this low to help Trump, and to pitch herself as his vice president."
Rashid continues, "In the past, she has said she wouldn't have certified the election if she were in (former Vice President) Mike Pence's position on January 6, 2021. She has gotten angry at a reporter who reminded her that a jury found Trump liable of sexual abuse. She has called the January 6 rioters 'hostages' and angrily claimed that New York state law requiring Trump to be physically present for his money trial, is, you guessed it, 'total election interference.'"
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The New Republic journalist notes that Stefanik has "even tried to claim that the country was better off four years ago during Trump's presidency, completely forgetting that Trump was badly mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic during that time."
"To sum up her latest bonkers move," Rashid argues, "Stefanik simply wants attention — probably from Trump himself."
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Read The New Republic's full article at this link.
