Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville (Photo — Adam Colver, Post-Star)

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik said she disagrees with President Donald Trump’s decision last week to revoke the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan.

“I don’t necessarily think it was the right action,” she said on Friday, following a roundtable in Wilton on the opioid addiction epidemic.

Trump pulled Brennan’s credentials because of what the president said was Brennan’s role in the Russia election interference investigation, which he has called a “witch hunt.”

Stefanik, R-Willsboro, said, legally, Trump has the right to do what he did, but she does not believe he should have done it.

“I think it’s a distraction from really important security challenges that we need to face,” she said.

Trump has criticized security officials for their role in investigating his campaign’s ties to Russia.

—

Not dissuaded by polls

Stefanik said she is not discouraged by a prediction from Nate Silver’s fivethirtyeight.com, which gives Democrats a 75 percent chance of taking control of the House of Representatives.

“I don’t pay that much attention to the prognosticators. The voters determine the outcome of the election,” she said. “I feel very strongly that we’re in a very strong position in this district. I also feel strongly that the Republicans will hold the majority.”

That same site’s analysis says Stefanik has a 14 out of 15 chance of winning.

The party that controls the White House has traditionally lost seats during the first mid-term election in the president’s first term. An exception was in 2002 during President George W. Bush’s first term, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks the year before.

Stefanik said the national media looks at the races through a national lens rather than at the local level.

“We have independent voters in this district, and voters are looking at the records of their incumbents. I think it’s more district by district,” she said.

Stefanik pointed out that Trump won New York’s 21st Congressional District by 15 percentage points and she won by 35 points in 2016.

When asked if she thought Trump’s visit to Fort Drum would help her campaign, she said having any president — Republican or Democrat — come visit is a win. Fort Drum is a major economic driver.

When asked how she saw her role shifting in a Democratic-controlled House, Stefanik said she did not see much difference.

“I have proven to be an effective member of Congress, whether working with a Republican or a Democratic president. I have one of the top 10 percent most bipartisan records, so I know how to work with my colleagues to get things done,” she said.

—

No plans to return donation

Some groups have called on Stefanik to return donations from U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, who was arrested last week on insider trading charges and dropped his bid for re-election.

The progressive group American Bridge says Stefanik should return the total of $3,000 she has accepted from Collins’ Congressional House Republican in Service PAC.

When asked if she would return the money, Stefanik said “I think the legal process should play out.”

Stefanik’s Democratic opponent, Tedra Cobb, on Twitter said Stefanik and her colleagues should pass a rule to prohibit members of Congress from serving on boards of businesses.

Collins served on the board of a biotechnology company and is accused of passing along information to family members that the clinical trial of a new drug was a failure.