Pence weighed in on Cheney’s loss while in Iowa on Friday at the start of a two-day visit to the state that is the first in the nation to vote during the presidential primary process.

Cheney lost the GOP primary for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district this week to conservative lawyer Harriet Hageman, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

The congresswoman has been one of Trump’s most ardent Republican critics and currently serves as vice chair of the House of Representatives’ Select Committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021.

“My reaction was, the people of Wyoming have spoken,” Pence was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. “And, you know, I accept their judgment about the kind of representation they want on Capitol Hill.”

The former vice president said he has “great respect” for Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, but he also criticized the January 6 committee, where Cheney has played a prominent role in televised public hearings.

“And I appreciate the conservative stance Congresswoman Cheney has taken over the years,” Pence said. “But I’ve been disappointed in the partisan taint of the Jan. 6 committee from early on.”

Newsweek has asked Representative Cheney’s office for comment.

Pence said that he would give “due consideration” to appearing before the committee if he were asked to do so.

“Beyond my concerns about the partisan nature of the January 6 committee, there are profound constitutional issues that have to be considered,” the former vice president said.

“No vice president has ever been summoned to testify before the Congress of the United States,” he said.

The committee is expected to hold further public hearings in the fall and Cheney will remain a member of the House until the next Congress meets on January 3, 2023.

There has been significant speculation that Pence may launch a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and his visit to Iowa will do nothing to soften that speculation.

The Iowa caucuses are the first major contest in the presidential nomination process and will take place in early 2024. Pence may be facing off against his old boss, as Trump has repeatedly hinted he will run again.

Cheney has also left the door open to a possible presidential bid, though it is not clear if she would seek the GOP nomination following her defeat in the Wyoming primary.

She told NBC on Wednesday that running for president “is a decision I am going to make in the coming months. I am not going to make any announcements here this morning. But it is something I am thinking about and I will make a decision in the coming months.”