Exclusive: Gov. Sarah Palin reacts to Jan. 6 hearing

(NewsNation) — After almost 14 years since she made a historic run for the vice presidency, Sarah Palin is vying for another political office: Congress.

Palin, the former governor or Alaska, is running in a special election Aug. 16 to fill Alaska’s single seat in the House of Representatives left vacated by the passing of Rep. Don Young.

Palin joined NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield for an exclusive interview after the January 6th hearings Thursday night.

“What the heck was anybody thinking to go vandalize our Capitol? Nobody can think that is right. It was atrocious what these protesters did, and anybody that encouraged it needs to be held accountable,” Palin said.

But she added that at “a hearing like this, there needs to be balance. There needs to be Republicans. Not just the two we have seen questioning but other Republicans onboard to do follow-up questions and present more evidence. I think it’s a given that it’s a one-sided type of hearing, but what we’re hearing is quite disturbing.”

Despite desperate pleas from aides, allies, Republican congressional leaders and even his family, former President Donald Trump refused to call off the Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol, instead “pouring gasoline on the fire” by aggressively tweeting his false claims of a stolen election and telling the crowd of supporters in a video address how special they were.

“All this polarization. People don’t want to hear the other side of the story. They’re not listening to what the heck is going on, and so many things are going on in our country that are not being beneficial to the people,” Palin said. “So much of the obsessive partisanship and the power-grabs going on. There’s a lot of corruption in Washington, D.C. I think the American people are so sick and tired of it. I believe there’s going to be a red wave.”

Palin has made history, sparked controversy and changed how candidates are chosen and how campaigns are run. Several pundits even credit her with paving the way for Donald Trump’s presidency.

In April 2022, Trump endorsed Palin  just days after the ex-vice presidential candidate announced her run for Congress.

“Sarah Palin is tough and smart and will never back down, and I am proud to give her my Complete and Total Endorsement, and encourage all Republicans to unite behind this wonderful person and her campaign to put America First,” Trump said in a statement.

Palin said for years she has leaned on Trump and that he has always been encouraging to her.

When asked if she believes the 2020 election was “stolen,” Palin said there’s proof of voter fraud and “so many questions still outstanding about the last election.”

“There’s been proof in terms of voter fraud in terms of those voting who were not qualified to vote. Even dead people voting,” Palin said. “I have questions. I’m glad other people are asking the questions. There are still outstanding lawsuits and investigations. I think we need to ask have the answers.”

Palin also called out how the media and politicians treated her family throughout previous campaigns. She says one of her kids didn’t want to wear the family name on their hockey jersey.

But she said the comparison to coverage of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, is “apples and oranges” because Hunter Biden is a grown adult and has made decisions that are up for scrutiny. Hunter Biden is the subject of a federal investigation over his business activities.

Sarah Palin’s boyfriend, former-NHL star Ron Duguay, joined into “Banfield” toward the end of her interview. When asked if Sarah would soon become a Duguay, he said a marriage proposal was being “negotiated.”