Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blocked two election security bills last week despite warnings from intelligence agencies that Russia and other countries are actively working to influence the 2020 election in favor of President Donald Trump.
Americans were outraged and soon #MoscowMitch began trending on Twitter, prompting him to give an impassioned speech on the Senate floor railing against "the outrage industrial complex," insisting that current measures are sufficient to protect American democracy.
McConnell soon took to Twitter, repeating an accusation from his floor speech: "Modern-day McCarthyism."
Historically, McCarthyism alludes to deceased Senator Joe McCarthy (R-WI), whose obsession with weeding out federal workers and public figures he deemed communists in the 1950s created the term and its historical infamy.
It wasn't long before Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called McConnell out on his bulwark against sensible policy.
While McConnell normally prides himself on being the "Grim Reaper" when it comes to killing policies passed by the Democratic House of Representatives, some—like the Washington Post's Seung Min Kim—noticed McConnell's uncharacteristic anger for accusations that he was a Russian asset and that #MoscowMitch had begun trending.
Which made it all the more satisfying when #MoscowMitchMcTreason started trending as well.
People heartily commended Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez's clapback as well.
According to a new Quinnipiac poll, 70% of Americans are concerned about foreign election interference. Fifty-nine percent of them want additional laws passed to curtail the efforts.
Maybe McConnell should prioritize the people over the victory of his president.
@WhiteHouse/X
