Mitch McConnell Falls Apart When Asked How Many Black Women Are On His DC Staff
Mitch McConnell was asked at a press conference how many black women work on his staff, and he said he didn’t know.
Video of McConnell:
Reporter: “How many Black women do you have on staff and how are they informing your decision” on Biden’s SCOTUS nominee?
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: “I haven’t checked, we don’t have a racial quota in my office.” pic.twitter.com/MdyuqDzwjc
— The Recount (@therecount) February 1, 2022
McConnell said, “Yeah. Actually, I haven’t checked. We don’t have a racial quota in my office, but I’ve had a number of African-American employees over the years, both male and female, including speechwriter.”
One would think that McConnell would know if there are any black women working in his office. He does visit his office, right?
McConnell somehow gave the worst possible answer to the question. Mitch McConnell could have been honest and said that there are no black women working in his office at this time, but he has had both male and female black employees in the past.
The question wasn’t even about Sen. McConnell’s hiring practices. The reporter was asking if he getting advice from any black women who work on his staff about Biden’s Supreme Court nominee.
It wasn’t a gotcha question, and it definitely should not have required a stammering answer from the Senate Minority Leader.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (R-SC) has the most diverse staff in Congress, at 64% non-white. Congressional staff is overwhelmingly white, with just two black and four Latino chiefs of staff in the entire Senate.
Apparently, the easiest way to send a Republican senator reeling is to ask how many black women work in their office.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association