Rep. Elise Stefanik in her Republican National Convention speech Wednesday evening blasted the impeachment of President Donald Trump earlier this year, calling it an "illegal" effort and attack on voters' will. 

Trump was acquitted by the U.S. Senate on charges he sought to tie foreign aid to an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden by Ukraine officials. Stefanik during the process rose to national prominece with a forceful defense of the president. 

"I was proud to lead the effort standing up for the Constitution, President Trump, and most importantly the American people," she said. "This attack was not just on the President, it was an attack on you - your voice and your vote."

The impeachment is, perhaps amazingly, a comparatively dim memory for the public given a year of tumult with a pandemic, an economic crisis and social unrest. 

And Trump's impeachment at the start of the year has been hardly mentioned during the three days so far of the GOP convention. 

But Stefanik in her speech sought to frame the impeachment as a strengthening moment for the president and his Republican base. 

"Our support for President Trump is stronger than ever before. We know what’s at stake in this historic election. Americans from all walks of life are unified in support of our President," Stefanik said. "It's why more Republican women than ever are running for office this year. We understand that this election is a choice between the Far-Left Democratic Socialist agenda versus protecting and preserving the American Dream."

The address is the highest-profile moment yet for Stefanik, who was first elected in 2014 to a sprawling district in New York's North Country region, a seat that encompasses much of the Adirondack Park and runs to the Canadian border. 

She's running for re-election this year facing Democratic candidate Tedra Cobb. 

Her speech included references to the history of the district, from the American Revolution to the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. 

And she sought to draw a choice between the election of Biden and a second term for the president. 

"We face a critical choice: Joe Biden's far-left failed policies of the past 47 years or President Trump who will stand up for the American people and the Constitution," she said. "I believe in the wisdom and spirit of the American people to elect the only candidate who is capable of protecting the American Dream, President Trump."