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‘Moscow Mitch’ Puts McConnell on Defense Over Election Security

  • Senate Democrats demand action on bills to protect voting
  • GOP majority leader slams suggestion he’s going easy on Russia
Mitch McConnell attends a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on July 31.

Mitch McConnell attends a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on July 31.

Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s rare display of defensiveness and anger this week after refusing to consider election-security legislation illustrates the increasing pressure on him to address an issue that President Donald Trump has largely dismissed.

The Kentucky Republican accused critics of “modern-day McCarthyism” after they tagged him online as #MoscowMitch and charged him with leaving the U.S. vulnerable to new meddling by Russia in the 2020 election. With the Senate about to leave Washington for a five-week August break, there’s no resolution in sight.