Get Well Soon, Senator. History Isn’t Feeling Quite As Generous.

Source: Silicon Bay Partners’ Staff with assistance from ChatGPT
Photo: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

We wish Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) a full and speedy recovery. But wishing someone well doesn’t require rewriting history.

In my view, McConnell bears significant responsibility for the political landscape that allowed Donald Trump to return to the White House. As Senate Republican leader, he rallied his caucus against convicting Trump in both impeachment trials, despite evidence that many believed warranted removal from office.

McConnell also reshaped the federal judiciary in ways that will be felt for decades. In 2016, he refused to allow the Senate to consider President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, leaving the seat vacant until after the presidential election. That decision paved the way for President Trump to nominate Neil Gorsuch and helped cement the Court’s current conservative majority.

History will ultimately judge McConnell not only by the legislation he passed, but by the institutional precedents he set and the political choices he made. Whether those choices strengthened or weakened American democracy is a debate that will continue long after both men have left the political stage.