Representative. Daniel Crenshaw (R-TX) stunned the audience and everyone on stage by claiming there had been a “peaceful transfer of power” from the former President Donald Trump — and CNN’s Kaitlan Collins has repeatedly called Crenshaw’s claims nonsense.
They all appeared in the after-show segment “Overtime,” which got heated when Crenshaw tried to equate the Jan. 6 riots with things Democrats had done in the past — and Collins pushed back against him at every turn:
BILL MAHER: But wouldn’t you admit that not conceding defeat is a much bigger, more existential problem, and that he’s not going to concede that election? Can you imagine that? Can you describe to me a scenario where he loses, maybe even more, and concedes defeat? Can you imagine him saying, “I saw the results and I want to congratulate Kamala Harris on a good campaign.” That’s impossible to imagine!
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: I don’t have to imagine that. So I don’t have to imagine all of this because I know the history and the story behind it. When he left the White House, it was a peaceful transition of power, and there was an inauguration on January 21st.
(LAUGHS AND HAT).
So-
BILL MAHER: He tried everything to prevent this!
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: Yes, they tried to use the same unconstitutional procedure–.
BILL MAHER: NO!
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: That’s what the Democrats did when he lost the election and.
BILL MAHER: The Democrats sent in fake electors, the Democrats put pressure on the Justice Department. The Democrats went to court and were laughed at? No,
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: We’re talking about that.
BILL MAHER: This has never happened in any other country.
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: Speaking of using the legal process, I don’t agree that there should be no process at all to overturn an election. But the Democrats did it three times in previous elections. Where was the hand-wringing? Stacey Abrams never.
BILL MAHER: Because it didn’t happen.
…
JAMES CARVILLE: But what happened was that, at his encouragement, they stormed the Capitol. They’re celebrating. Yes, on September 5, 2024. Right. And if a Democrat did something like that, I would do it with violence. I would Warner. I would like to beat them up.
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: And I wouldn’t do it. I’m freaked out. I hate it.
JAMES CARVILLE: That’s what they’re doing. They’re honoring. They’re honoring these criminals. And I wouldn’t do that as a Democrat in Minneapolis. I don’t mind at all. And by the way, look at what happened.
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: And that’s why you have to go. But you have to admit that people – go ahead
JAMES CARVILLE: Again, these were people who attacked the Capitol. They wanted to hang him.
KAITLAN COLLINS: But also – behaving the way Democrats have done before, which is what Republicans often say when we have them on my show, when we talk about January 6th and the false electors and Trump refusing to concede his election defeat, there was hardly a peaceful transition of power.
In fact, they didn’t even allow them to receive federal funds for the transition. I remember it was like that for weeks because we were learning about a little-known position that no one in the federal government really knew much about.
But the difference is also that Joe Biden confirmed the election. He was vice president at the time and he confirmed the election of Donald Trump and not. There was no massive…
REPRESENTATIVE DAN CRENSHAW: Mike Pence, too.
KAITLAN COLLINS: Yes, because Donald Trump put pressure on Mike Pence not to do it.
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: The whole certification process is nonsense. It’s unconstitutional. The Democrats are opening that door. The Republicans have invaded Congress with it.
KAITLAN COLLINS: The Democrats have not opened the door.
Yes. They have held three elections in a row.
KAITLAN COLLINS: You can’t compare them.
REP. DAN CRENSHAW: Again, because they’re going through what they consider a legal process. I think it’s illegal no matter which party is doing it.
