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Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., joined CNN's "The Situation Room" Tuesday to defend President Donald Trump's controversy surrounding Pope Leo XIV, while arguing that the papacy should remain strictly spiritual.
In a sharp exchange with CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown, Stefanik addressed the Trump's recent criticisms of Pope Leo, the first American-born pontiff. Trump has recently targeted the Chicago-born Pope, calling him "weak" on foreign policy regarding the war in Iran.
"I don't want to see the Pope as a politician," Stefanik said. "The President of the United States is a political figure. Of course, he's going to be engaged in politics when he's politically attacked."
Stefanik argued that religious authority should be distinct from the political fray, pointing to a spiritual resurgence rather than policy debates.
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"I want to see the Pope continue to focus on the Gospel," she said. "What I think we can highlight as Catholics... is the increased number of new Catholics entering the church, and that's a great success for the Catholic Church long-term."
When asked about Trump's now-deleted AI-generated images that appeared to depict him as a Christ-like figure, Stefanik acknowledged the controversy while shifting focus to policy outcomes. Trump, however, defended the photo, saying he viewed it as "a picture of me being a doctor in fixing - you had the Red Cross right there, you had, you know, medical people surrounding me."
When asked about the now-deleted AI-generated image shared by President Trump that critics said depicted him as a Jesus-like figure, Stefanik acknowledged the controversy. Trump defended the post earlier this week, claiming the robes and surrounding figures represented him as a "doctor" in a Red Cross setting.
"Certainly, the president made the correct decision in taking it down," Stefanik said. "I know CNN loves to focus on the tweets and memes of President Trump. I look at his record of results."
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The discussion later turned to allegations involving Rep. Eric Swalwell, where Stefanik sharply criticized both the congressman and media coverage of the claims.
The discussion grew most contentious regarding the sudden resignations of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who both stepped down on Tuesday amid mounting sexual misconduct allegations.
"Frankly, I believe criminal crimes were committed," Stefanik said, adding it is "deeply disturbing."
"The media should have done more coverage of this," she continued. "This was sort of whispered about for many, many years."
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Brown challenged Stefanik on why GOP leadership didn't act sooner, given the rumors.
"I think, correctly, he was forced to resign," Stefanik countered. "But that was only after the public came forward and these brave women and, frankly, staff members came forward. I think that every member, if there are these types of scandalous behaviors, they need to resign immediately, no matter what party they're in."
Stefanik also addressed the scrutiny facing Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., who has faced separate allegations of misconduct.
"My advice as a member of Congress is these members need to look in the mirror," Stefanik said. "They know if they have been conducting themselves unfitting for the office, they need to resign."
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Blitzer pressed Stefanik on whether she was applying a double standard, citing the 2023 civil jury finding that Donald Trump was liable for the sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll.
"There's absolutely not a double standard," Stefanik replied. "If anything, the media is not focused on holding Democrats to account."
She concluded by distinguishing between the "lawfare" she claims has been used against Trump and the evidence in the Swalwell case.
"Look at the text. Look at the videos of Eric Swalwell... That is very different than the lawfare and the politicization that we have seen," she said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Tony Gonzales and Cory Mills for further comment. Rep. Swalwell's office referred all inquiries to his resignation statement issued Tuesday.
