Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced this week that he supports an increase in funding for the Department of Justice (DOJ), bringing him into potential conflict with conservatives concerned about what they see as a two-tiered justice system in the United States.
The Kentucky Republican told NBC News that Congress “ought to be looking for ways to spend more on law enforcement.”
More failure theater from top Republican in Senate: After FBI Raids Republicans’ Last President, Mitch McConnell Wants To Increase DOJ Funding https://t.co/iu7RMK1adx
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) April 19, 2023
McConnell’s comments come after a series of legal actions against former President Donald Trump. Most recently, the former commander-in-chief was indicted on 34 felony counts by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).
While many Republicans condemned the indictment, McConnell was notably silent. Members of Congress from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) condemned the arrest.
The former majority leader broke ranks with many conservatives over the issue. To a significant number of Republicans, the use of the DOJ for what they see as political score-settling is a deal-breaker.
In particular, many points to the raid on former President Trump’s house alongside spying on a number of Catholic parishioners.
Republicans in Congress protested against what they viewed as political uses of federal power and formed the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH).
The panel is reviewing how the Biden administration applied its authority to target a number of conservatives, according to testimony.
The Kentucky senator also went out of his way to contradict the feelings of a number of fellow Republicans regarding the release of Jan. 6 tapes to Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Carlson recently aired tapes of the protests from a number of new angles, including previously-unaired footage. McConnell slammed the decision, despite the fact that Carlson received the tapes from House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
Many conservatives view the aggressive prosecution of a number of Jan. 6 protesters as a manifestation of the same weaponization. To many, the relatively calm scenes aired by Carlson negate a media narrative that grew surrounding that day’s events.
