A very annoyed Mitch McConnell would like everyone to stop calling him 'Moscow Mitch'
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) really doesn't like when people refer to him as "Moscow Mitch," and wishes everyone who calls him Moscow Mitch would just think about how much the nickname Moscow Mitch hurts his feelings.
On Tuesday, McConnell appeared on The Hugh Hewitt Show, and said it's not fair that he's been dubbed Moscow Mitch, calling it "modern-day McCarthyism." He got the name in July, after he blocked election security bills that had bipartisan support. The move came right after more warnings were made public about Russia attempting to interfere in the 2020 elections. "Unbelievable for a Cold Warrior like me who spent a career standing up to the Russians to be given a moniker like that," McConnell said.
He's been called Moscow Mitch by constituents and colleagues alike, and McConnell made it clear to Hewitt that only he can give himself unflattering nicknames — earlier this year, he bestowed upon himself the title "Grim Reaper," as he planned on killing all progressive policy proposals. "You know, I laugh about things like the Grim Reaper, but calling me Moscow Mitch is over the top," McConnell said.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
-
Ex-FBI agents sue Patel over protest firingspeed read The former FBI agents were fired for kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest for ‘apolitical tactical reasons’
-
Trump unveils $12B bailout for tariff-hit farmersSpeed Read The president continues to insist that his tariff policy is working
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey


