November 06, 2023 03:50 PM UTC

Scalise Squirms Confronted By Ken Buck's Would-Be Criticism

• 12 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Yesterday morning, ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos hosted Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who very briefly was the frontrunner to become the next Republican Speaker of the House before his bid fell apart, to talk about what happened and what comes next. Stephanopoulos played a short clip of Colorado’s soon-to-be former Rep. Ken Buck condemning Republicans (like Scalise) for “lying to America” by claiming “that the 2020 election was stolen.”

What followed was eight opportunities by Stephanopoulos extended to Scalise to make a clear statement one way or the other on the 2020 presidential election, all of which Scalise declined with increasingly painful deflection to take:

REP. KEN BUCK (R-CO) ON VIDEO: Our nation is on a collision course with reality. And a steadfast commitment to truth, even uncomfortable truths, is the only way forward. Too many Republican leaders are lying to America, claiming that the 2020 election was stolen.

STEPHANOPOULOS: He said that you’re one of those leaders who hasn’t been unequivocal in saying it was a clean election, that Joe Biden did not steal the election. Your response?

SCALISE: Well, Ken, I’ve worked with, on a number of issues, including getting spending under control, getting our economy back on track. He’s talked about that 2020 election as well. You and I have, I think, have talked about that, too. At the end of the day, getting our country back on track is our focus…

STEPHANOPOULOS: Can you say unequivocally the 2020 election was not stolen?

SCALISE: What I’ve told you, there are states that didn’t follow their laws. That is what the state constitution – the US Constitution — requires. You know, I’ve seen in my own state, where we had to send our elections commissioner to jail years ago for fraud and corruption. And we cleaned up our act in our state. Every state ought to follow the laws that are on their books. That’s what the US Constitution says.

STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s not what I asked. I said, can you say unequivocally that the 2020 election was not stolen?

SCALISE: Look, Joe Biden’s president…

STEPHANOPOULOS: Congressman, I know that Joe Biden is president. I’m asking you a different question. Can you say unequivocally that the 2020 election was not stolen?

SCALISE: What I’ve told you, and you’ve — you’ve seen this — there are states that didn’t follow the laws that are on their books, which is what the US Constitution says they have to do.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So you — so you just refuse to say unequivocally that the 2020 election was not stolen?

SCALISE: So, you want to keep rehashing 2020…

This went on for four more rounds before Stephanopoulos finally let Scalise off the ropes, long enough for the experience of Scalise attempting to dodge the question with the same already-rebutted excuses to become truly agonizing. Scalise knows he has no good answer, but cannot offer anything more reality-based because it would set in motion a chain of backlash against his person all the way back to Mar-a-Lago.

Now that Buck has voted for another Speaker who refuses to concede that the 2020 presidential election was not stolen in the form of Mike Johnson, it’s not quite as disconsonant to recall that Buck broadcast his willingness to abandon principles and back Scalise if Scalise was able to win over enough support to have a chance in the actual voting, which of course Scalise never did:

Buck has never been asked to square this moment of weakness with his previous resolve to oppose anyone who trafficked the “Big Lie,” but after voting for Mike Johnson in a similar act of expediency over principle, we already know what we need to. And it’s why we won’t be joining in the hagiography about Buck as he heads for the exit.