Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), under fire for blocking two election security bills, hit back on Monday comparing the attacks against him to “modern-day McCarthyism.”
“I was called unpatriotic, un-American and essentially treasonous by a couple of left-wing pundits on the basis of bold-faced lies. I was accused of aiding and abetting the very man I’ve singled out as an adversary and opposed for nearly 20 years, Vladimir Putin,” McConnell said during a fiery speech from the Senate floor.
He added that his critics, specifically pointing out The Washington Post and MSNBC, were using “unhinged smears,” adding “welcome to modern-day McCarthyism.”…McConnell sparked a firestorm of criticism last week when he blocked attempts by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to pass election security legislation by unanimous consent. Under Senate rules any one senator can try to pass a bill, but any one senator can object.
The two pieces of legislation are supported largely by Democrats, giving them next to no chance of passing the GOP-controlled Senate without a vote. One of the bills would require the use of paper ballots, the other would require candidates, campaigns or family members to notify the FBI about assistance offers from foreign governments.