McConnell quoted as saying he felt ‘exhilarated’ after Jan 6th, Trump ‘finally, totally discredited himself’

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) may not be able to explain away remarks he is alleged to have made following Jan. 6, according to a new book, as recent actions certainly support the idea the lawmaker was “exhilarated” that former President Donald Trump “totally discredited himself.”

With the release of New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns’s book, “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future,” one week away, various outlets are ramping up previews of the content. After a review of segments provided, The Washington Post is reporting that the Kentucky legislator was more than a little pleased with the outcome of events at the Capitol as the 2020 election was being certified.

“I feel exhilarated by the fact that this fellow finally, totally discredited himself,” McConnell is quoted as telling the authors hours after the halls of Congress had been cleared and the certification could continue.

Supposedly speaking with the journalists after midnight at the Capitol, the Senate Leader went on, “He put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Couldn’t have happened at a better time,” he added, preceding his stance between then and the Jan 20, 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden where he would distance himself from Trump before later admitting he would support him in a reelection bid.

A previous look at the book noted that McConnell may have been supported by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in efforts to oust Trump in the final weeks of the administration and said during a call with top House Republicans where the topic of impeachment was broached, “I’ve had it with this guys.”

“What do you hear about the Twenty-Fifth Amendment?” McConnell also reportedly asked of Martin and Burns following the events of Jan. 6, allegedly feeling them out for information on Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s cabinet discussions.

Ultimately, only 10 Republicans voted with the Democrats to impeach Trump a second time, and a month after Biden was sworn in, McConnell assured that he would support the former president should he be nominated again. Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked him, “If [Trump] was the party’s nominee, would you support him?”

“The nominee of the party?” McConnell made sure to specify. “Absolutely.”

His couched language on the subject does little to belie other alleged comments and endorsements that he has given leading up to the midterms. The Post noted that Martin and Burns report McConnell as denouncing Trump and his allies stating, “We crushed the sons of b*tches and that’s what we’re going to do in the primary in ’22.”

Since that time, the influential Republican leader has made moves to support efforts to do precisely that. Last week it was reported that McConnell’s Political Action Committee (PAC) invested $7 million in advertising to help reelect Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski as she faces a primary challenger in Trump endorsed Kelly Tshibaka.

“It’s important for Lisa to be reelected,” McConnell said. “She’s one of the few sort of moderates in the middle of the Senate…” and, he called her, “a key player in advancing bipartisan legislation.” Murkowski was one of three Republicans, joined by Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) and Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) who voted in favor of nominating the controversial Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.

McConnell has also been reported to have contributed to the reelection campaign of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as she faces a primary challenge from Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman after voting in favor of the former president’s impeachment.

The Senate Leader has not offered comment on the veracity of the book’s claims, but his behavior certainly supports the allegations made against him. As nationally syndicated radio host Mark Levin said in February in opposition to McConnell’s continued position in leadership:

“Mitch McConnell is utterly and completely out of touch. It’s not a righteous man standing up for principle any more than Liz Cheney’s a righteous woman standing up for principle, any more than Adam Kinzinger is a righteous man standing up for principle. They’re egomaniacs. That’s what they are.”

Kevin Haggerty

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