Mitch McConnell says Senate Republicans were 'literally under assault' by 'trained' Kavanaugh demonstrators


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is once again following President Trump's lead — this time by questioning the motives and sincerity of anti-Kavanaugh demonstrators.
McConnell said Monday that over the past few weeks, Republicans have been "literally under assault" by protesters who were against Brett Kavanaugh being confirmed to the Supreme Court. While noting that "some" of these protesters were probably "well-meaning citizens," McConnell said that many of them were "obviously trained to get in our faces" and "almost attack us in the halls of the Capitol."
As they prepared to confirm Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women, many Senate Republicans were confronted by demonstrators, some of whom said they were victims of sexual assault themselves. Two women, for instance, confronted Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) in an elevator, only for Flake to unexpectedly call for an additional FBI background investigation into Kavanaugh hours later. As The Washington Post points out, there were no reported instances of demonstrators physically assaulting any senators, although one woman reportedly assaulted a man outside of the office of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While McConnell did not go quite as far as President Trump, who recently claimed that protesters were "paid professionals," McConnell maintained that there had been "full-scale effort" to "intimidate" Republicans. Watch his comments below. Brendan Morrow
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
How will the new tax deductions on auto loans work?
the explainer Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced a tax deduction on auto loan interest — but eligibility for the tax break is limited
-
Is Trump actually going to prosecute Obama for 'treason'?
Today's Big Question Or is this just a distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal?
-
5 best movie sequels of all time
The Week Recommends The second time is only sometimes as good as the first
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
-
President diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency'
Speed Read The vein disorder has given Trump swollen ankles and visible bruising on his hands
-
'Bawdy' Trump letter supercharges Epstein scandal
Speed Read The Wall Street Journal published details of Trump's alleged birthday letter to Epstein