Senator Mitch McConnell falls in line behind Donald Trump, fraudulently misleading the public without genuine concern for the consequences of his lies. Following Justice Scalia’s death, Senator Mitch McConnell lied to the American people about the Supreme Court nominating process in an effort to sabotage President Obama’s Supreme Court nomination, thwart democracy and pursue his own selfish political agenda.
Before Mitch McConnell takes the stage at the RNC, we encourage you to check the facts, because Mitch will surely ditch them:
MITCH MCCONNELL LIED ABOUT SUPREME COURT NOMINATION
Mitch McConnell said Republicans were “following a longstanding tradition” by not filling the vacancy on the Supreme Court. “MCCONNELL: No, he shouldn’t. I mean, we’re following the Biden rule. And Biden was chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 1992, in presidential election year; he said the Senate should not act on filling a Supreme Court vacancy if it had occurred that year. Harry Reid when he was back in 2005 said the president nominates but the Senate doesn’t have to vote. Chuck Schumer who will be the next Democratic leader said in 2007 they wouldn’t confirm. The Democrats were in the majority in the Senate, they wouldn’t confirm a Bush appointment to the Supreme Court if one occurred within 18 moves a presidential election. So, all we’re doing, Chris, is following a long standing tradition of not filling vacancies on the Supreme Court in the middle of a presidential election year.” [Fox News Sunday, Fox News, 3/20/16]
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There is no “longstanding tradition” of leaving empty Supreme Court vacancies in an election year. “McConnell’s use of the phrase ‘longstanding tradition’ is misleading, as the Senate has chosen not to fill a Supreme Court seat that opens up during an election year just once in the past 100 years. The reality is that, at least in recent decades, the Senate has rarely been presented with the opportunity to consider a Supreme Court nominee in an election year. It’s so rare that there’s no fully analogous scenario to compare with the current debate over filling Scalia’s seat. McConnell’s statement is not accurate, so we rate it False.” [PolitiFact, 3/22/16]
MITCH MCCONNELL LIED ABOUT THE INCOMING REPUBLICAN CONGRESS’ EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY
Mitch McConnell implied that an “uptick” in the economy was due to “the expectation of a new Republican Congress.” “In remarks from the Senate floor, newly elevated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., suggested that his party’s takeover of Senate control ‘appears to coincide’ with recent good economic news. ‘After so many years of sluggish growth, we’re finally starting to see some economic data that can provide a glimmer of hope,’ McConnell said. ‘The uptick appears to coincide with the biggest political change of the Obama administration’s long tenure in Washington: the expectation of a new Republican Congress.’” [PolitiFact, 1/8/15]
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The economic recovery was well underway before there was a widespread “expectation” of a Republican Senate. “McConnell said a recent economic uptick appears to ‘coincide’ with ‘the expectation of a new Republican Congress.’ Even leaving aside the question of causation, key statistics show that the economic recovery was under way well before September, which is our best estimate for when the ‘expectation’ of a GOP Senate solidified. We rate the statement False.” [PolitiFact, 1/8/15]