To the editor:

What do we know after the June 23, 2022 public hearing of the Jan. 6 House select committee? There was literally no credible evidence of fraud or corruption of the 2020 presidential election. Nevertheless, then-President Donald Trump relentlessly pressured federal officials to assist him in his effort to overturn the election so he could retain power. We also learned that many of Trump’s most-vigorous supporters in the U.S. Congress actively pursued presidential pardons, presumably because they recognized the legal jeopardy they faced as a result of their active support for Trump and his “big lie” that the 2020 election was corrupted.

One member of Congress not mentioned in that hearing was NY-21 Rep. Elise Stefanik. Does that omission reflect her not being among Trump’s most-active allies in Congress during the period when Trump was seeking to essentially overturn the U.S. Constitution? How many times has Stefanik been referred to as “Trump’s Favorite House Republican?” After carefully positioning herself as a “moderate,” Stefanik chose to vigorously support Trump when he faced his second impeachment — which related to Trump’s shameful actions that drove the Jan. 6, 2021 violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. Since that impeachment, Stefanik has continued to embrace Trump as tightly as a peel embraces a fruit.

Donald Trump is now fully revealed as an aspiring autocrat who should face legal consequences for his corrupt actions. How might Stefanik shift her post-Trump political strategy? Will she try to swerve back towards her former moderate posture? Will she try to step away from other discredited members of House Republican leadership?

At this point, it really doesn’t matter. Rep. Elise Stefanik vigorously supported Trump as he pursued his corrupt scheme to overturn the 2020 election. Prudent NY-21 voters will seriously question Stefanik’s ethics, her judgment, her commitment to the U.S. Constitution, and her fitness to represent your district.

David Banks

Rockville, Maryland

Formerly of Lake Clear