McConnell refuses to secure elections as Trump begs foreign governments to interfere

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell  refuses to move any legislation dealing with election security, even after Russia attacked the foundations of American democracy in 2016, according to a Friday New York Times report.

McConnell reportedly told colleagues he has no plans to move any bills that would make elections more secure, including measures to help state and local governments do so.

Describing him as a “one-man road block,” the Times reports that McConnell is even blocking bipartisan measures, such as those that would improve information sharing practices between federal and state agencies and provide incentives for states to use paper ballots.

On reason McConnell won’t bring up the measures: Talking about election security makes Trump feel insecure because, according to the Times, Trump “views almost any talk of Russia’s success as questioning the legitimacy of his 2016 victory.

As McConnell refuses to make elections more secure, Trump is busy actively inviting foreign adversaries to interfere in the 2020 election.

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday night, Trump said he would be happy to accept politically damaging information about opponents in the lead-up to the 2020 election, even from adversaries such as Russia or China.

Trump also said he wouldn’t necessarily inform the FBI if he was approached with damaging intelligence.

“‘Unfit to be President’ is a gross understatement,” former CIA chief John Brennan wrote on Twitter after parts of the interview were released by ABC. Trump “is undeserving of any public office, and all Americans should be outraged,” he added.

While Trump begs other countries to interfere and McConnell refuses to lift a finger to do anything to protect American democracy, one body has shown a willingness to take action.

On March 8, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, sweeping legislation aimed at strengthening elections and voting rights.

The bill “will help secure our election infrastructure and help instill confidence in our democratic institutions,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement before the bill passed. “This should not be a partisan issue, but Congress has done far too little to prevent foreign election meddling after Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Democrats promised the American people that election security would continue to be a priority and today we are making good on that promise.”

Special counsel Robert Mueller laid out the ways Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump in his report. Even Trump’s hand-picked FBI Director, Christopher Wray, warned that Russia was using 2018 as a “dress rehearsal for the big show in 2020.”

Despite the dire warnings, it seems that both Trump and McConnell are fine with attacks on the United States of America, so long as it serves their personal interests. So much for “America First.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.