Pelosi: Republicans carrying out ‘legislative continuation’ of Jan. 6 with election laws

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday accused Republicans across the country of carrying out a “legislative continuation” of Jan. 6, 2021, through new election laws that she said “undermine our democracy.”

“Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan asked Pelosi if she would commit to seating individuals whose elections are not certified in their states, noting the many states that have recently changed their laws.

“I think that the order of things is very appropriate. There’s nothing more important for us to do than protect our Constitution and our democracy. What the Republicans are doing across the country is really a legislative continuation of what they did on Jan. 6, which is to undermine our democracy, to undermine the integrity of our elections, to undermine the voting power, which is the essence of a democracy,” Pelosi said.

Following the 2020 presidential election, numerous GOP-controlled legislatures passed voting laws that critics argued made it more difficult for some groups to vote. Brennan asked Pelosi how she would handle a potential situation in which a federal election is disputed at the state level.

“Well, it isn’t a question of how we will handle something a year from now. What is important right now is how we protect and defend the Constitution and the voting rights,” Pelosi said.

The White House and Senate Democrats have recently prioritized the passing of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act — neither of which has any Republican support.

With the massive social spending bill stalled in the Senate, the White House has shifted its focus to voting rights, with both President Biden and Vice President Harris expected to touch on the topic when they speak in Georgia later this week.