President Trump addressed recent assertions made by the Washington Post that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could be an asset of the Russian government in light of his blocking of election security measures.
Responding to questions in the Rose Garden on Tuesday morning, Trump flatly rejected the notion, saying, “I think the Washington Post is a Russian asset, by comparison. Mitch McConnell loves our country. He’s done a great job trying to pass an infrastructure bill.”
Over the weekend, Washington Post opinion writer Dana Milbank referred to Kentucky Republican as “Moscow Mitch,” suggesting further that his actions in the Senate meant he was in the employ of the Russian government.
McConnell slammed Milbank’s remarks on Monday, saying, “The outrage industrial complex doesn’t let a little thing like reality get in their way … They saw the perfect opportunity to distort and tell lies and fuel the flames of partisan hatred, and so they did.”
Trump continued his defense of the senator on Tuesday, saying, “Mitch McConnell is a man that knows less about Russia and Russian influence than even Donald Trump, and I know nothing.” He said further of the Washington Post, “They ought to be ashamed of themselves, and they ought to apologize.”
