McConnell: Calling Me “Moscow Mitch” Is McCarthyism

Hugh Hewitt: Senator, let me begin by talking to you about nicknames. I played the Cocaine song, because Cocaine Mitch is a popular hashtag among people like me. Grim Reaper is as well. But Moscow Mitch is McCarthyism. That’s absolutely despicable. What do you think of the last one?

Mitch McConnell: Yeah, I mean, it’s modern day McCarthyism. Unbelievable for a Cold Warrior like me who spent a career standing up to the Russians to be given a moniker like that. It’s an effort to smear me. You know, I can laugh about things like the Grim Reaper, but calling me Moscow Mitch is over the top.

Hugh Hewitt: It is simply an assertion that you’re doing the bidding of Moscow, which is, of course, pure McCarthyism. I thought we were past that in this country. I really did, and especially if you’ve overseen the biggest Defense spending hikes out of the Congress in a decade.

Mitch McConnell: Yeah, no question about it. And going back even to the breakup of the Soviet Union, I was one of those leading the charge for expanding NATO up to the Russian border over and over again over the years. So they’ll say anything and do anything. This is what we’re up against with the hard left today in America.