MAGA Rep. Elise Stefanik implicitly acknowledged the quote, but attacked Fox News anchor Shannon Bream for taking it from The New York Times.

I suspect Stefanik thought she’d cruise through her Fox audition to become Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick. Unfortunately for her, Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream asked some tough questions that Stefanik very much was not prepared to answer.

Stefanik began by sticking her MAGA thumb in the eye of any peace negotiations by saying, “It's great to be with you, Shannon, from the eternal capital of Israel, Jerusalem.”

While in Israel, Stefanik publicly sided with Israel over President Biden in an address to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

After challenging Stefanik on her criticisms of Biden's position on Israel, Bream said, “What about this concept that we have recognized, generally, since the late 1940s, that politics partisan politics stops at the water's edge, that we don't have people of a minority party overseas criticizing a sitting president? Is that out the door now?”

In short, yes, it is, though I have no doubt Stefanik would have a fit if President Joe Biden criticized her beloved Trump on foreign soil.

Stefanik tried to justify spreading disrespect of her own country by pretending she’s with “the American people.” FACT CHECK: A recent poll found that only 25% of Americans think Biden has not been pro-Israel enough.

STEFANIK: Well, first of all, Shannon, I was invited to talk about my work when it comes to combating antisemitism and my strong record when it comes to U.S.-Israel support. The world needs to know and Israel needs to know that the House Republican majority stands strongly with Israel, that this equivocation this week, failed leadership that we're seeing from Joe Biden, that's not where the American people are. That's not where the United States Congress is. And it's also not reflective of the legislation that we passed that that Joe Biden signed into law. So it is important for the world to hear the world is looking for moral leadership, Shannon, and it's important that House Republicans step up to fill that void which we have under speaker Johnson's leadership.

Bream moved on to confront Stefanik with her colossal flip-flop on her support for Trump. First, Bream noted that conventional wisdom places Stefanik on Trump’s shortlist for VP and that the trip to Israel “may be part of an audition.” Then Bream got to The New York Times. She quoted from the article:

BREAM: “In August 2015, [Stefanik] told the New York radio station that [Trump] was insulting to women, as his candidacy would hurt the party's efforts to attract female voters. According to her former friends,” they continue, “she thought Mr. Trump was too awful and ridiculous to be taken seriously. Her revisionism still shocks those who have known her the longest, and who remember the disdain she expressed for Mr. Trump back then.”

So, the question is when, more importantly why did you change your mind about President Trump?

Clearly, Stefanik was unable to explain her “evolution.” So she attacked Bream for citing The New York Times: “It's a disgrace that you would quote The New York Times,” Stefanik said, as if Bream had an obligation to only quote MAGA sources. Then Stefanik called it “a false smear.” She said, “I have been proud to be one of the strongest supporters going back to when he ran for 2016.” The wannabe VP predicted that Trump “is going to be the next president United States.” She added, “I'm proud to be one of his strongest allies in Congress.”

Bream did not back off. “Is that a misquote? Did you not say that?” she asked.

No, it was not a misquote. Stefanik just thought Bream should have gone along with the guise and attacked her again for not doing so.

STEFANIK: I said the statement that the Democrats leaked out in 2016, that that was insulting. However, Shannon, I stood by and supported him and I strongly support him. And he has done so much to promote women in senior positions, as well as promote women's economic opportunity that we experienced out of the four years of his administration. So, I've been proud to support him.

It's a disgrace that you would take a New York Times article and just read negative quotes when the reality was, I was the only Republican, elected woman from the Northeast who voted for him in 2016, who has strongly supported him, and I'm proud to be one of his strongest allies today.

I don’t know whether Bream was just doing her job or was told or influenced by someone at Fox (Kellyanne Conway?) trying to message their biggest fan that he should pick someone else as VP. In any event, Bream could have gone much harder on Stefanik. Her strenuous opposition to Trump was much stronger and far more prolonged than she wanted viewers or her favorite pu**y grabber to know.

From The New York Times article Bream cited:

In truth, [Stefanik] had loathed Mr. Trump from the start. In August 2015, she told a New York radio station that he was “insulting to women,” and that his candidacy would hurt the party’s efforts to attract female voters. That December, at a friend’s wedding in Australia, she made Mr. Trump the butt of an elaborate rehearsal dinner toast, according to four people who attended. Whipping out a red MAGA hat, she glared at the other guests with mock suspicion, warning them not to post pictures or videos of the speech online, where they might get back to her constituents. Winding up, she placed the hat on the groom, a tech entrepreneur known for his socialist politics and friendly debates with Ms. Stefanik. Everyone laughed. (Her spokesman denied it was a MAGA hat and said the toast did not mock Mr. Trump.)

Like many establishment Republicans, according to her former friends, she thought Mr. Trump was too awful and ridiculous to be taken seriously, then watched with alarm as his campaign soared. She refused to endorse anyone before the New York presidential primary that April, leading Mr. Paladino, her future ally, to denounce her as a “fraud” and “Washington elitist establishment sellout.” Around that time, she returned to Cambridge for an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Politics. Afterward, she and a dozen of her old crowd gathered at a restaurant to catch up. Ms. Stefanik said she planned to vote for John Kasich in the primary and could not possibly vote for Mr. Trump in the general election, according to people who were there, and suggested she might write in someone else’s name if he became the nominee. (Her spokesman denied that account of the dinner.)

Ms. Stefanik skipped the Republican convention that summer. When the “Access Hollywood” tape broke, she drafted a statement demanding that he drop out of the race, according to a person familiar with her decision-making process, before settling for a Facebook post calling his statements “inappropriate, offensive” and “just wrong.” (Her spokesman said that it was “Never Trump Outside consultants” working on her campaign who had drafted statements calling on Mr. Trump to drop out.) A week later, after a local debate, she told the assembled news media that she was “supporting my party’s nominee.” Then she dashed to her vehicle as her campaign staff blocked an Albany television reporter from following her. In text messages to friends after Mr. Trump won, she expressed shock and worry, not the exultation she claims today.

Stefanik could have simply said that she had earlier misjudged Trump, that once she had gotten to know Trump and his awesome policies that she had a change of heart. The fact that she threw a hissy fit of a smoke screen, instead, shows she knows she has something to cover up.

You can watch Stefanik melt down over her own history below, from the May 19, 2024 Fox News Sunday.