Nancy Pelosi Criticizes Mike Johnson’s ‘Statement’ on Election Certification

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi has questioned House Speaker Mike Johnson’s comments about certifying the 2024 election results if Vice President Kamala Harris wins against former President Donald Trump.

Earlier Tuesday on Capitol Hill, a reporter asked Johnson (R-Louisiana), “Do you commit to following the standard order of business in certifying the 2024 election, even if Kamala Harris defeats Donald Trump?”

Johnson responded: “Of course – if the election is free, fair and secure, we will uphold the Constitution, absolutely.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the former House Speaker appeared on CNN’s Jake Tapper and was asked to respond to Johnson’s comments.

“Why would there be a caveat?” Pelosi replied. “Why don’t we just agree that whoever wins, we support a peaceful transfer of power.”

The California Democrat also called Johnson’s comments part of a “conspiracy.”

“We are not suffering,” Pelosi said. “We are organizing and organizing to make sure Hakeem Jefferies has that gavel in his hand on January 6th.”

When reached by Newsweek on Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for Johnson’s office said Pelosi had damaged “faith in our election system” when she posted on X, formerly Twitter, in May 2017 that “Our election has been hijacked. There’s no question about it. Congress has an obligation to #ProtectOurDemocracy & #FollowTheFacts.”

Pelosi’s statement was a reaction to Hillary Clinton’s defeat to Trump in the 2016 election.

“When it comes to opinions on the election, there have been few more damaging to trust in our electoral system than Speaker Pelosi’s statements since her now-deleted 2017 tweet in which she declared there was “no doubt” the 2016 election was “hijacked” by Russia. We urge Democrats to refrain from similarly disgraceful behavior this time,” Johnson’s spokesman said. Newsweek.

Newsweek sent an email to Johnson’s office on Tuesday afternoon seeking comment.

Johnson has openly promoted former President Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories about the veracity of the upcoming election.

Trump has sown doubts about the 2024 presidential election by warning of possible interference as early as 18 months before it begins.

Last summer, Trump said, “They stole the 2020 presidential election, and we will not let them steal the 2024 presidential election.” He has consistently used the campaign slogan “too big to rig” at his rallies.

Earlier this month, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that the upcoming election would be heavily scrutinized to avoid fraud.

“CONCLUDE AND CEASE: I, along with many lawyers and legal scholars, are watching the sanctity of the 2024 Presidential Election very closely because I know better than anyone the widespread fraud and shenanigans that occurred by the Democrats in the 2020 Presidential Election,” he wrote.

Trump and his allies have filed 62 lawsuits challenging the 2020 election results, 61 of which have been dismissed by the court.

The former president’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him led to an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump has been charged with four felonies in connection with the federal case seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“Our democracy is very important,” Pelosi said. “We work as we work to elect a Democratic vice president and president, to elect a Democratic Congress, to make sure that we can’t have this personal opinion when it’s an absolute numerical fact.”

Author Mary Trump, the GOP candidate’s niece, said her uncle said preparations for his “coup (are) already underway.”

Her claims echo the concerns of many prominent politicians, military leaders and members of the public who also fear a repeat of the events of January 6.

Updated: 9/24/2024 5:33 PM ET: More information has been added to this article.