Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told a radio show this week that he has no plans to leave the Senate after previously stating he would only serve as GOP leader in the chamber through his current term, which ends in January.
In an interview with radio host Terry Meiners from WHAS, McConnell pledged to utilize the remaining time he has in the Senate to retaliate against GOP colleagues who intend to limit U.S. assistance to foreign allies like Israel and Ukraine.
Despite his plans to step down as party leader, McConnell said, “I’m not leaving the Senate.” He added, “I’m particularly involved in actually fighting back against the isolationist movement in my own party and so many others as well.”
McConnell mentioned Ukraine’s fight against Russia, a cause to which the US has allocated tens of billions of dollars.
“The symbol, lately, is ‘are we gonna help Ukraine or not?’ And I think it’s extremely important that we do that,” McConnell said.
Meiners noted that Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul criticized McConnell, saying he was out of touch with the people in the Bluegrass State.
“Paul would be the first one to say that he’s an isolationist. He has been all along. This is not anything new for him. And he and I have always disagreed on this kind of issue,” McConnell said, referring to Paul.
McConnell said that he finds it “more troublesome” that others appear to be “heading in that direction, making arguments that I think are easily refuted.”
He added, “We’re not losing any of our troops, the Ukrainians are the ones doing the fighting. If the Russians take Ukraine, some NATO country would be next and then we will be right in the middle of it.”
Q: “What’s your mindset now when your feet hit the floor in the morning?”
McConnell: "I'm not leaving the Senate. And I'm particularly involved in fighting back against the isolationist movement in my own party. The symbol lately is ‘are we gonna help Ukraine or not.’” pic.twitter.com/VHZprlxMGY
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 1, 2024
