Sen. Mitch McConnell’s first response to Mother Jones‘ report on a closed-door campaign meeting about prospective challenger Ashley Judd: Call the FBI. His second response: Ask for money.
On Tuesday morning, McConnell’s campaign twitter account blasted out a link to a new splash page (“teammitch.com/wiretap“) asking supporters to “stand with Senator McConnell” by signing up for his mailing list—and donating to his campaign. The campaign specifically charges the “liberal media,” which in this case is apparently Mother Jones, with “illegal and underhanded tactics”:
As we explained in the piece, Mother Jones was provided a copy of the tape. It was not involved in making the tape.
McConnell’s move isn’t unusual for a campaign dealing with a news story like this—which may have some benefits for a politician who has worked hard to ingratiate himself with the state’s conservative activists. What better way for McConnell to show his mettle than by coming under attack from the left?
