A photo of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell smiling in front of a Confederate battle flag has resurfaced this week after he blocked a larger stimulus check from passing. Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers and President Donald Trump supported the $2,000 financial relief, yet McConnell was able to stave it off, according to a report by Newsweek. Now, many angry Americans are looking back on McConnell’s sordid history as a lawmaker.
McConnell is smiling and either accepting or giving an award in the now-viral photo where he stands in front of a massive Confederate flag. The picture has circulated since at least 2015, but according to a Snopes report, its details are still unclear. The photo seems to have been taken in the early 1990s, at an event hosted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans — a group whose motives have often been questioned. While it claims to be an organization for historical preservation, it has focused mainly on fighting for the right to display Confederate symbols publicly in recent decades.
Videos by PopCulture.com
This guy from Kentucky decides whether Americans get one-time $2,000 survival checks pic.twitter.com/0Mg0RP0Qbl
— Colin Hicks 😷 (@colinenpraxis) December 29, 2020
When this photo first came out in 2015, McConnell issued a public statement saying that the “time for a state to fly [the Confederate flag] has long since passed.” He did not explain the context of the photo or apologize for any offense it might have given. McConnell’s office did not respond to a request for further explanation from Snopes reporters this week.
With the stimulus check decision now joining a string of recent controversial moves by McConnell, the outrage at him on social media has become widespread and generalized. However, McConnell was just re-elected as a senator from Kentucky in November of 2020, so he has his supporters as well. McConnell beat challenger Amy McGrath — a former Marine fighter pilot. That means he is guaranteed his spot in the United States Senate until 2026.
Furious Americans let the photo of McConnell in front of a Confederate flag fuel their outrage this weekend. Here is a look at what many had to say about the picture.
Not Surprising
Ugh disturbing but not at all surprising https://t.co/12WzyZIzJ4
— May 2020 Be Over Already??? (@CursedByCastiel) December 29, 2020
Broken System
How is it our system allows him to do this?
— mccullou (@mccullou) December 29, 2020
Old
Mf been old his whole life https://t.co/uzKDqajKdv
— Venny (@Venny1017) December 31, 2020
Worst
— BLACK LIVES MATTER 🧼🤲 (@roxanne1032) December 29, 2020
Believe Them
When someone like @senatemajldr tells you who and what they are, believe them.
— Mike James (@EsotericMike) December 30, 2020
Until this #traitor is dragged from office and charged for his crimes no #Americans will be safe. https://t.co/g6PReVlFj8
Not Just Mitch
Any Senator can object, it’s not a special authority conferred onto the Majority leader. The GOP follows Mitch and elects him their leader because he’s doing what they want. It’s not just Mitch.
— Chad Meadows (@ChadwickD) December 29, 2020
Klan Aesthetic
I didn’t know it was custom for them to have award ceremonies outside of their dress whites 😒
— Monica (@ReligioAmoris) December 29, 2020
Most Viewed
-
(Credit: Rafa Jodar / Getty Images) -
TV talk show with female celebrity flat vector illustration. Woman sitting on sofa and talking with host, discussing news in studio. Videographers filming broadcasting. Television, interview concept -
A ring of vibrant marigold flowers with glowing candles at the center, set against a dark background. (Credit: Eduardo Monroy Husillos / Getty Images) -
Netflix logo is displayed during the 'Paris Games Week' on November 02, 2017 in Paris, France. (Credit: Chesnot / Getty Images) -
NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images) -
NORTH BERGEN, NJ – AUGUST 23: Exterior view of a Walmart store on August 23, 2020 in North Bergen, New Jersey. Walmart saw its profits jump in latest quarter as e-commerce sales surged during the coronavirus pandemic (Photo by Kena Betancur/VIEWpress via Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 13: (L-R) Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom attend the 10th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on April 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)
