(CNSNews.com) – Congressman-Elect Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that he disagrees with former President Donald Trump who advocated terminating the Constitution in the case of “massive” election fraud.
“So, with the revelation of MASSIVE & WIDESPREAD FRAUD & DECEPTION in working closely with Big Tech Companies, the DNC, & the Democrat Party, do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION? A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. Our great “Founders” did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Lawler said he doesn’t support that.
The Constitution is set for a reason, to protect the rights of every American, and so I certainly don’t endorse that language or that sentiment. I think the question for everyone is how we move forward. I ran for Congress to address the challenges that we’re facing and be forward-looking.
Frankly, I think people are tired of looking backwards. I think people are tired of discussing the grievances of prior elections, and they want to know what we’re going to do to address the challenges, and I think the former president would be well-advised to focus on the future, if he is going to run for president again.
On the House GOP leadership race, House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) does not seem to have the 218 votes he needs to become speaker.
When asked whether he’s worried that there’s a chance McCarthy won’t become speaker, Lawler said, “Well, listen, a month is a long time in politics, but I am confident that Kevin McCarthy will have the 218 votes on January 3 to become speaker, and I myself, as has been alluded to, am in full support of Kevin.
And, frankly, Kevin is the only person that I will be voting for, for speaker, if it’s one vote or multiple votes, and I think there’s many of my colleagues who feel the same way, and, frankly, we’re not going to be held hostage by a handful of members, when the overwhelming majority of the conference is in full support of Kevin.
I think the objective here needs to be to focus on our agenda and what we all got elected on, which was, number one, to stop the out-of- control Biden agenda, and, number two, the Commitment to America, and I think the American people are looking for members of Congress to be serious, to be sober, to be focused on addressing these challenges, and that’s where our efforts and attention should be.
The conference has spoken loud and clear, and I think all of my colleagues should move forward in support of Kevin, so that we can get to work on behalf of the American people.
“You’re right, it is just a handful of House Republicans that are opposing him, but, as of right now, there are at least five of them, and he can’t afford to lose five of them. There might be multiple votes, as you say. You’re saying that you’re going to stick with McCarthy even if it is multiple votes?” host Jake Tapper asked.
“I will only be voting for Kevin McCarthy for speaker, and I know many of my colleagues within the conference feel the same way. So, this is potentially obviously something that could come to a head, but I do think cooler heads will prevail, and I do think, on January 3, Kevin will have the necessary votes to become speaker,” Lawler said.
When asked whether he’s comfortable with the Republicans’ tactic of using the raising of the debt ceiling as leverage to force spending cuts, Lawler said, “Well, listen, there’s no question our debt is out of control. I mean, we’re talking about over $30 trillion. We need to get spending under control.
Under the Biden administration, we have increased spending by over $4 trillion. There’s no question that this is unsustainable, and so, certainly, there are levers of power within Congress, and debt ceiling votes are one of them.
At the end of the day, we have to pay our debt and we have to ensure that the government is functional and operating, but I think there really needs to be, frankly, a come to Jesus on this when it comes to spending.
Both parties have been guilty of this over recent years, and we need to be serious about tackling our out-of- control spending and debt, and so I think this is going to be a discussion that is warranted moving forward.
When asked whether he supports “any changes to the social safety net or entitlement programs,” Lawler said, “Well, as I said, during my campaign, we have to protect Social Security and Medicare. It is critically important.
There are obviously significant challenges with both programs going forward. We need to ensure that the trust fund is sustainable, and so I think we need to evaluate what needs to be done.
Frankly, I think there should be a blue-ribbon commission, much like was done back in the ’80s, a bipartisan commission, to evaluate the long term aspect of Social Security and Medicare, but we have a responsibility to fulfill our commitments there, and so my objective is to make sure that they are sustainable for the long term.
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Author: Melanie Arter
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