McConnell’s exit isn’t going to be a quiet one
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 04/30/24 6:00 AM ETSenate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is on the way out. But he’s not going quietly.
A GOP free agent of sorts, McConnell helped convince Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to back aid to Ukraine despite opposition from House Republicans. The effort led to another win in a long list of big legislative victories for the Kentuckian.
McConnell, who is nearing the end of his days as the Senate Republican leader, is speaking more freely, too.
He sharply criticized conservative pundit Tucker Carlson this month, saying he’d found a home in interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He’s also gone after Republicans opposed to aiding Ukraine, accusing them of being on the wrong side of history.
There’s no doubt that McConnell has lost a lot of influence in the GOP to former President Trump, who is poised for a return to the White House if he can defeat President Biden in November.
Even in McConnell’s own Senate GOP caucus, the Trump forces are growing. If Republicans win back the Senate in the fall, the number of Republicans aligned with Trump — and those who may oppose McConnell’s brand of foreign policy — seems likely to grow.
But that is tomorrow, not today.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4630773-mcconnells-exit-isnt-going-to-be-a-quiet-one/