Looks like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has jumped on the “Moscow Mitch” bandwagon.
During a speaking engagement at a Democratic event Wednesday in Springfield, Illinois, Pelosi referred to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as “Moscow Mitch” — a nickname originally coined by MSNBC host Joe Scarborough in light of McConnell’s efforts to block election security legislation in the Senate — for blocking a series of legislation passed by the House earlier this year.
“We sent our legislation to the Senate,” Pelosi said, recounting bills passed by the House that include measures raising the minimum wage, reforming elections and expanding health care. “Moscow Mitch says that he is the ‘grim reaper.’ Imagine describing yourself as the ‘grim reaper,’ that he’s going to bury all this legislation.”
According to the Washington Post, Pelosi also used the event as an opportunity to urge the Senate to pass a pair of bills approved by the House in February designed to strengthen background checks for gun buyers.
“We’ve been waiting since February, and now public sentiment must weigh in to save lives,” Pelosi said.
McConnell previously called himself the “grim reaper” to describe his role in killing Democrats’ legislation.
When the Post asked for comment Wednesday regarding Pelosi adopting the “Moscow Mitch” nickname, a McConnell aide pointed to the Senate majority leader’s comments on the Senate floor in response to Scarborough and Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank, who referred to McConnell as a “Russian asset.”
“I don’t normally take the time to respond to critics in the media when they have no clue what they’re talking about, but this modern-day McCarthyism is toxic and damaging because of the way it warps our entire public discourse,” McConnell said during a speech in which he defended his record on Russia.
Watch Pelosi’s remarks below:
