On Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was greeted by a group of activists chanting “Vote you out” and “Where are the babies?”—a reference to the Trump administration’s immigration policy that has separated more than 2,000 children from their parents—outside a restaurant parking lot in Louisville, Kentucky.
According to videos of the incident, McConnell left the parking lot without once acknowledging the protesters or responding to their questions. “If the Leader comments on being called a fascist and a supporter of ICE by a small handful of extremist protesters then I will let you know,” McConnell’s spokesman David Popp told the Washington Post after the encounter quickly went viral on social media.
After two days, McConnell finally responded to his “extremist protesters.” The Senate majority leader made it personal with an “MM” sign-off:
I see what they did here. They waited until Elaine wasn’t around. -MM #dontleavehomewithouther https://t.co/tfjLu0IRok
— Team Mitch (Text MITCH to 47360) (@Team_Mitch) July 9, 2018
McConnell’s belated tweet on Monday attempted to humorously address his critics at home and those who similarly approached his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, outside the couple’s Washington townhouse last month. That effort comes as the Trump administration struggles to reunite migrant children who have been separated from their families in time to meet a court-ordered deadline.
