McConnell Rips 'Toxic,' Modern-Day' McCarthyism

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday ripped an op-ed in The Washington Post as toxic "modern-day McCarthyism."

"I don't normally take the time to respond to critics in the media when they have no clue what they're talking about," McConnell said during a fiery speech from the Senate floor. "But, this modern-day McCarthyism is toxic, and damaging, because of the way it warps our entire public discourse.

"Facts matter," McConnell said sternly. "Details matter. History matters, and if our nation is losing our ability to debate public policy without screaming about treason, that really matters. In the middle of the 20th century, the original McCarthyism hurt America's strength and diminished our standing in the Cold War by dividing us against ourselves."

McConnell specifically called out MSNBC and the Post for using "unhinged smears."

Columnist Dana Milbank in his Friday piece for the Post labeled McConnell a "Russian asset" for his opposition to several election-security bills proposed by Democrats.

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough called McConnell "Moscow Mitch" and said he was "aiding and abetting" Vladimir Putin's efforts to "subvert" American elections.

McConnell said he long opposed federal involvement in election management and, as far back as 2002, "repeatedly spoke out against a one-size-fits-all approach in favor of leaving election matters up to the states."

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