Mitch Mcconnel Warns the Russians Not to Interfere in Our Elections Again
'Moscow Mitch' Tag Enrages McConnell and Squeezes 1000.O.P. on Ballot Security
WASHINGTON — Senator Mitch McConnell is usually impervious to criticism, even celebrating the nasty nicknames critics bestow on him. Simply Mr. McConnell, the Senate majority leader, is incensed by the proper noun "Moscow Mitch," and even more miffed that he has been called a "Russian asset" past critics who accuse him of unmarried-handedly blocking stronger election security measures after Russia's interference in 2016.
Democrats had been making the instance for months, merely information technology was supercharged last week by the testimony of Robert S. Mueller Three, the quondam special counsel, who told the House Intelligence Committee that the Russians were back at it "as we sit here."
Mr. McConnell cites several reasons for his opposition — a longstanding resistance to federal control over state elections, newly enacted security improvements that were shown to have worked in the 2018 voting and his suspicion that Democrats are trying to gain partisan advantage with a host of proposals.
Republican colleagues say that Mr. McConnell, a longtime foe of tougher entrada finance restrictions and disclosure requirements, is leery of even inbound into legislative negotiation that could bear upon fund-raising and campaign spending.
Just whatsoever Mr. McConnell's reasoning, the criticism has taken agree — even back home in Kentucky, where the majority leader faces re-election next year.
"Democrats want more aggressive legislation to protect America'due south elections after Robert Mueller's stark warning nearly Russian interference," began one written report aired on a Louisville television set station final calendar week. "Mitch McConnell blocked it."
Fifty-fifty President Trump felt compelled to come to his defense — as only he could.
"Mitch McConnell is a man that knows less about Russia and Russian influence than even Donald Trump," the president told reporters Tuesday as he was leaving for a speech in Jamestown, Va. "And I know nothing."
That did not relieve the rut on the bulk leader, who on Monday had appeared to open up the door ever then slightly to doing more than on ballot preparedness.
"I'm sure all of us will be open to discussing further steps Congress, the executive co-operative, the states and the individual sector might take to defend our elections against foreign interference," he said equally he seethed on the Senate flooring over what he described equally McCarthy-style attacks on his integrity and distortions of both his position on election security and his hawkish history of challenging Russia.
Throughout his political career, Mr. McConnell has made opposition to the Kremlin a authentication of his foreign policy stands.
For once, Democrats seemed to be getting to a human being who has embraced his portrayal as Darth Vader and the Grim Reaper overseeing a Senate graveyard for legislation that he opposes. When an unsubstantiated West Virginia Senate campaign ad in 2018 chosen him "Cocaine Mitch," he began answering his Senate phone with that identifier.
"Moscow Mitch"? Non and so much: "I was called unpatriotic, united nations-American and essentially treasonous," he fumed on the Senate flooring.
Democrats pressed their advantage. And why not? The hashtag #MoscowMitchMcTraitor was trending on Twitter, and Senate Republicans of all stripes were being asked about the occludent.
"Then long equally the Senate Republicans forbid legislation from reaching the floor, then long as they oppose boosted appropriations to u.s., and so long as they malign election security provisions every bit, quote, partisan wish lists, the critics are right to say Leader McConnell and Republican senators are blocking ballot security," Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said on the floor Tuesday.
Mr. Schumer has in the by suggested that some other potential reason behind Mr. McConnell's position is the thought that interference emanating from Russia could aid Republicans. "I hope information technology's non because he thinks information technology volition do good him, because Putin could turn around in a minute, and so do things that he doesn't like," Mr. Schumer said in June.
Lawmakers in both parties have election security proposals waiting on the sidelines, and the furor has caused some to step up demands for Congress to accept up their bills.
Senators Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, and Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, wrote on Monday to colleagues reconciling the annual House and Senate military policy nib to request that they include stalled sanctions legislation meant to deter Russia or other foreign actors from interfering in American elections. House lawmakers included a similar provision in their military policy bill, but the senators want to see it strengthened to slap Russia'south economic system with intense sanctions if it is constitute to interfere in a future ballot.
"This conference committee represents this Congress' best — potentially final — opportunity to enact meaningful legislation aimed at deterring Russian federation from a echo functioning of its 2016 presidential ballot interference," the senators wrote. "We inquire that you seize this opportunity and include the provisions outlined above in the final briefing study."
On Tuesday, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican fellow member of the Senate Intelligence Commission, signed on to a measure out by Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the commission'due south top Democrat, that would require campaign officials to report to federal authorities any offers of entrada assistance from foreign entities.
"Russia's efforts to interfere in our elections remain relentless," said Ms. Collins, who is also up for re-election side by side twelvemonth, in a argument.
Mr. McConnell's opposition to any and all election legislation has bottled upward the bills in the Senate Rules Committee. The panel's chairman, Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, has hesitated to accelerate whatsoever of the measures since they would become nowhere on the floor.
Mr. Blunt said he repeatedly had been assured past the F.B.I., the Section of Homeland Security and the federal intelligence agencies that they were not lacking resources to combat election interference.
"They e'er say, 'No, we don't need anything,'" Mr. Blunt said Tuesday. A onetime state elections official himself, Mr. Blunt said he agreed with Mr. McConnell that the federal authorities should not gain more authority over state elections.
"Mitch would not want to see united states further federalize the process and that's where I am, too," Mr. Blunt said.
Proponents of the bills say they are devised to keep united states of america in the lead. A Democratic measure approved by the Business firm would send more than $1 billion to state and local governments to tighten ballot security, but would too demand that states apply the money for machines with backup newspaper ballots and require a national strategy to protect American democratic institutions against cyberattacks. States would be required to spend federal funds only on federally certified "ballot infrastructure vendors."
A bipartisan measure in both chambers would crave cyberspace companies like Facebook to disclose the purchasers of political ads. Another bipartisan Senate proposal would formulate cyberinformation-sharing initiatives between federal intelligence services and state ballot officials, speed upward the granting of security clearances to land officials and provide federal incentives for states to adopt backup paper ballots.
Backup paper ballots got an endorsement Tuesday from an unlikely source: Mr. Trump. He took to Twitter to call for "Paper Ballots as backup (old fashioned but truthful!)."
With the focus on the issue intensifying, Mr. McConnell and Senate Republicans will face more pressure to act.
If they do, the virtually likely upshot would not be advancing stand-alone bills only instead using the annual spending bills that must laissez passer this fall to funnel more coin to states to secure their elections and to make sure they take a paper-ballot trail that can exist audited if questions arise about the legitimacy of an outcome. Ten states now lack full chapters to do and then, according to the Rules Commission.
Mr. Schumer encouraged that thought Tuesday. "If McConnell wants to address ballot security in the appropriations process, we would welcome his back up on an subpoena to send more than funding to us," he said. "We want to go something done on election security considering this is not about party, this is a matter of national security.
Mr. McConnell said Mon that he would not be intimidated into acting on election interference.
He also will probably non exist answering his phone "Moscow Mitch."
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/30/us/politics/moscow-mitch-mcconnell.html
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