Lee, a Republican, held up a copy of the Constitution while debating McMullin, an independent, on the siege of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Lee, according to text messages released by the House committee investigating the riot, had argued for then- President Donald Trump to challenge the 2020 presidential election in court in the weeks following the election.

The text threads also recorded Lee afterward cautioning then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows of an alleged plot to send alternative state electors to Capitol Hill to challenge President Joe Biden’s certification on January 6.

On Monday, Lee said that he had never supported a “fake electors” plot, saying there was not a “scintilla of evidence” to the claim. Lee also said that while there were people who behaved “very badly” on January 6, he “was not one of them.”

“I was one of the people trying to dismantle this situation, trying to stop it from happening, because I believe in this document,” Lee added, pulling the copy of the Constitution out of his pocket.

McMullin, in response, told Lee that the Constitution was “not a prop.”

“It is not a prop for you to wave about and then when it’s convenient for your pursuit of power, to abandon without a thought,” McMullin said.

“If you’re committed to the Constitution, then stand up for our free and fair elections,” McMullin added.

The exchange was later posted on Twitter by CSPAN.

During the debate, Lee confirmed that the 2020 election was won “fairly” by President Biden, but added that “there is always room for debate” over whether some states conducted their elections “better” than others.

Lee did vote to certify the 2020 election on January 6, but McMullin noted during the debate that Lee was one of the last to do so, comparing it to “the same way someone knows a plot that isn’t quite working out.”

Monday’s debate was the first and only between the two Senate candidates from Utah before midterm elections in a few weeks. According to FiveThirtyEight, Lee is “clearly favored” to retain his seat next month, projected to beat McMullin 94 out of 100 times.

The crowd also favored Lee during Monday’s debate, and at one point booed McMullin for claiming that Lee had sought “fake electors to overturn the will of the people” on January 6. McMullin added that it was the most “egregious betrayal” of a senator in U.S. history.

The moment was later posted by TownHall.com on Twitter, and boos were cut short by the debate’s moderator.

In response to McMullin’s claim, Lee said, “You sir, owe me an apology.”

Newsweek has reached out to both campaigns for comment.