Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing sharp criticism for comments he made this week in response to a question about the concerns of voters of color.
Virginia Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin condemned the remarks in a letter to the Kentucky Republican, saying, "I am writing today in response to your recent comment on voting rights in which you said that African Americans are not American citizens in any way."
"It's 2022 and being American is not synonymous with looking or thinking like you. African Americans are, in fact, American citizens who deserve our recognition, respect, and equal protection under the law."
At the Republican leadership's weekly news conference held on Wednesday, Latino rebels reporter Pablo Manriquez asked McConnell what his message was to voters of color who are concerned that if Congress fails to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, they will. Will not be able to vote in the middle term. ,
"Well, the concern is misplaced because if you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in the same high percentages as Americans," McConnell said. "In a recent poll, 94% of Americans thought voting was easy. It's not a problem. Turnout has gone up."
Asked by CNN whether the senator didn't drop a word in his remarks, a spokesman for his office said McConnell meant "another American" not just "American."
The apparent misrepresentation has drawn heavy criticism from the left, with groups using the Twitter hashtag #Mitchply to address the Republican leader.
"It's definitely giving #mitchpleasance. African Americans are American, 365 days a year!" Read a tweet posted by the Congressional Black Caucus account.
McConnell said in a statement Thursday to CNN by his team that he "consistently pointed to a record-high turnout for all voters in the 2020 election, including African-Americans."
This is not the first time McConnell has been critical of his comments relating to issues of race and racial discrimination in America.
In 2019, when asked about his position on reparations for slavery ahead of a historic House hearing on the matter, he said, "We have elected an African American president." The response sparked outrage, with some arguing that he suggested the country pay for the "sin of slavery" by electing Barack Obama.
And last year when asked about Filibuster's racial history, McConnell replied, "It has no racial history. None."
Adam Gentleson, author of "Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of Democracy," said filibuster, for more than a century, was widely believed to be devoted to maintaining white supremacy and blocking civil rights. used to go." time.
A spokesperson for McConnell later clarified that the senator was "referring to the origins of the filibuster."