McConnell Under Fire for Comment About 'Black American Voters' and 'Americans'
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is facing criticism after he apparently slipped up while arguing that minority voters’ concerns about not having access to the ballot box are “misplaced.”
The Republican leader was asked what his message was to voters of color who are “concerned that without the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, they’re not going to be able to vote in the midterms.”
“Well, the concern is misplaced, because if you look at the statistics, Black American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans,” McConnell responded.
He added, “[In] a recent survey, 94% of Americans thought it was easy to vote. This is not a problem. Turn out is up.”
Watch the video below:
In case you missed it, Mitch McConnell said the quiet part out loud last night: “African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.”
Make sure everyone sees this.pic.twitter.com/ReOvHGJcnI
— MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) January 20, 2022
Check out some of the reactions below:
Mitch McConnell’s comments suggesting African Americans aren’t fully American wasn’t a Freudian slip — it was a dog whistle.
The same one he has blown for years.
— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) January 20, 2022
The silence from Mitch McConnell is deafening, so let's give him even more proof that Black Americans ARE Americans. #MitchPlease pic.twitter.com/YzxVsjcw69
— Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) January 20, 2022
Straight from the horses mouth! Mitch McConnell, the Congressional Grim Reaper, failed to consider African Americans as true Americans when voting. This is why protecting #votingrights can’t wait! We demand a RETRACTION.
Sincerely, African American voters https://t.co/Tan5daAX8q
— Rep Frederica Wilson (@RepWilson) January 20, 2022
Mitch McConnell does not—and frankly, never has—viewed Black Americans as Americans. It’s no wonder he’s trying to strip their access to the ballot box. pic.twitter.com/7acSY5CUvQ
— Marie Newman (@Marie4Congress) January 20, 2022
Oh my god.
Listen to this. https://t.co/sc5twCoLqf
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) January 20, 2022
I am no less American than Mitch McConnell.
— Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) January 20, 2022
I am an American. https://t.co/MBXlmusvkP
— Marcus Flowers (@Marcus4Georgia) January 20, 2022
Dear @LeaderMcConnell, Black veterans have served, bled, and died for this country since it began. It is incomprehensible that you can’t wrap your head around the fact that Black Americans ARE Americans. pic.twitter.com/PBV0jtSPL2
— VoteVets (@votevets) January 20, 2022
The othering of Americans who aren’t White was never a “quiet part”, it has always been loud and painful for everyone who has experienced it. https://t.co/bTSC6f3hle
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 20, 2022
African Americans ARE Americans. #MitchPlease https://t.co/N3dSsQ9Jqn pic.twitter.com/SRnTTVJdJ4
— Bobby L. Rush (@RepBobbyRush) January 20, 2022
It's definitely giving #MitchPlease.
African Americans are ARE Americans, 365 days a year! https://t.co/dLrhmrYMtM— The Black Caucus (@TheBlackCaucus) January 20, 2022
A spokesperson for McConnell told CNN the senator meant to say “other Americans” instead of simply “Americans.”
And in a statement to the network, McConnell said he has “consistently pointed to the record-high turnout for all voters in the 2020 election, including African-Americans.”
The incident came after Senate Democrats failed to change the filibuster to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
Before that vote, President Joe Biden insisted that efforts are being made to make it “hard” for minorities to vote.”
Still, he expressed optimism that “you’re going to see them willing to stand in line and defy the attempt to keep them from being able to vote.”
“I think you’re going to see the people they’re trying to keep from being able to show up, showing up, and making the sacrifice that needs to be made in order to change the law back to what it should be,” he added.
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