Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks out of the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 24, 2020, as the Senate works to pass a coronavirus relief bill. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:36 PM PT — Tuesday, March 31, 2020
According to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Democrat-led impeachment push “diverted the attention of the government” from the risk of coronavirus.
In an interview Tuesday, the Kentucky lawmaker acknowledged that Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) was “right on the mark” about being concerned about the virus when it started having an impact in China.
However, McConnell noted the outbreak in China came up right as the Senate was tied down on the impeachment trial. The Senate majority leader also called out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for “inserting herself” into negotiations on the recently passed coronavirus stimulus bill.
“The way I thought it would work best would be for those of us in the Senate to try to get started on a bipartisan basis and we were doing really quite well, as you may recall, until the Speaker of the House decided to insert herself into the process,” he explained. “…Which created a couple of days of unnecessary partisan sniping.”
ICYMI?: I joined @hughhewitt today to discuss the Senate’s historic 96-0 vote to pass the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
America is facing a national emergency. I’m proud the Senate stepped up to equip our national response. https://t.co/kOPrpWB9tJ
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) March 31, 2020
Sen. McConnell also said he’s proud of the way President Trump is handling the coronavirus pandemic.
President Donald Trump signs the coronavirus stimulus relief package in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, March 27, 2020, in Washington, as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Minority Leader Kevin McCarty, R-Calif., and Vice President Mike Pence watch. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
