CNN anchor, GOP’s Mullin tussle over election comparisons

CNN anchor Pamela Brown and Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-Okla.) argued over election comparisons Thursday, with Brown saying the contrast he made between the 2016 and 2020 contests was a “false equivalence.” 

Brown initially asked Mullin on Thursday whether — if every state certifies their election results — he would “accept a peaceful transfer of power.”

“It’s hard to say what you’re going to do or what you’re not, because my job is to make sure that irregularities are within the standard that the federal government puts out place, which is us,” Mullin responded during his appearance on “The Lead.”

“What is irregularities that we’re willing to accept? If it past those irregularities in a district or a state, then absolutely not. If it’s within those standards, then we will,” he continued. 

Brown then added that every state “certifies the election result, so they have their own processes.” 

“If the elections are certified underneath the standards that they put forth, every state has the right to set … every state sets their own state election laws,” the senator said in response. “But the federal government sets irregularities as to how far those can go. So, is it going to be less than 1 percent, or is that less than a half percent? Whatever those irregularities are, we’ll take that case at a time.” 

The Oklahoma senator, who voted against certifying the 2020 election results while serving as a member of the House, said currently, either party is likely to “cry foul” if the other party wins the election.

“You got to remember in 2016, when President Trump won, the Democrats were saying that the election was stolen,” he said. 

Brown responded, “That’s a false equivalence.” 

Mullin disagreed, saying, “You’re telling me in 2015, Pam, that Democrats didn’t say that the election was rigged? They did. They absolutely did.”

The CNN anchor, again, said that it was “a false equivalence.” 

“What happened in 2020 was you had a sitting president in office who lost the election, who said it was rigged, it was stolen,” Brown said. “And members of Congress voting against the certification that the states had already certified and taking it to the Supreme Court, trying to overturn the will of millions of voters. That is very different.” 

The Republican senator then mentioned the 2000 presidential election, when some Democrats objected to the results between then-Texas Gov. George Bush and then-Vice President Al Gore. 

Brown then said, “you are not willing to accept the results of this next election, even if every state certified.” 

Mullin said he had no “issues” looking at it, but, “I’m, not going to sit here and tell you what I’m going to do and not going to do until I see the results.” 

“It’s not based on who wins it,” he said. “It’s based on the results of the irregularities. I’m there to make sure that the election is held and is held within our constitutional boundaries. I will uphold the Constitution. I swore to do that. It doesn’t make any difference who wins it. Obviously, I’d love President Trump to win, but if the election is fair and it’s handled in the right way, and I got to vote to certify it, I’ll vote to certify it at that point.”

This story was updated at 1:50 p.m. Sept. 14.