Mnuchin dodges questions on whether 2020 election was "stolen"

Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during an appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Wednesday dodged a question on whether former President Trump's false claim that the 2020 election was "stolen" is a lie.

Why it matters: It's another example of an influential voice on the right failing to bat down the claim. Dozens of Republican candidates seeking powerful statewide offices, including governor, attorney general and secretary of state, have promoted the false notion.

Eamon Javers (Host): When the former president says the election in November was stolen, do you believe that was a lie?

Mnuchin: Well let me just say, I was very involved in the campaign in 2016 and I traveled with the president across the country and was intricately involved in everything. In 2020, I wasn’t able to participate in the campaign and I was also focused on a massive amount of work in COVID. So, I’m really just watching this from the outside.

Javers: But even from the outside, I mean you were the Secretary of the Treasury. You had some access to the Trump administration — to the White House. You know how he campaigned, is it a lie for the former president to say the election was stolen?

Mnuchin: What I'm saying is Im focused on our investments, our business going forward. I think the president's policies were extraordinary in COVID, whether it's the vaccines or other issues. Or the work we did under COVID, the bipartisan support we had, to get the economy recovered.