NYT columnist tries to snag Mitch McConnell on a conspiracy exposed by his own employer years ago

A New York Times columnist was forced to delete a tweet attacking Mitch McConnell when he came to the embarrassing realization that his own employer had already debunked the claim.

Nicholas Kristof thought he had the Senate Majority Leader nailed with his clever conspiracy theory about his net worth only to find out the strange idea that there was something shady about McConnell’s financial growth was discredited by The New York Times, among others, long ago.

mitch mcconnell
(File photo: screenshot)

“McConnell, your response or explanation?” Kristof tweeted, pointing out how his 2005 net worth and his 2015 net worth saw a $23 million difference.

(Image: Twitter screenshot)

The Times columnist soon deleted his tweet however, and updated with a link to a Snopes article unpacking what was behind the increase in the Kentucky Republican’s finances.

The article noted:

Although the meme and the campaign ad upon which it was likely based were set up to make it seem as if McConnell’s wealth increase were the result of his role in the Senate and thus involved unethical or illegal activities, most of his net worth actually derives from his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who hails from a wealthy business family and married McConnell in 1993.

 

McConnell’s wife lost her mother in 2007, and Chao’s inheritance made a significant impact on the couple’s finances.

The social media page for the GOP lawmaker called Kristof out on Twitter, noting the impact his first – false – claim had made compared to the correction.

McConnell cited the New York Times and its agreement with him that Democrats are “playing politics,” during a fiery speech on the Senate floor denouncing the critics who have fueled what he called a “modern-day McCarthyism.”

“I was called unpatriotic, un-American and essentially treasonous by a couple of left-wing pundits on the basis of bold-faced lies. I was accused of aiding and abetting the very man I’ve singled out as an adversary and opposed for nearly 20 years, Vladimir Putin,” McConnell said.

“I don’t normally take the time to respond to critics in the media when they have no clue what they’re talking about,” he added. “But this modern-day McCarthyism is toxic and damaging because of the way it warps our entire public discourse.”

President Trump came to his defense this week slamming the Washington Post which he said should be “ashamed” for calling the Senate Majority Leader a “Russian asset.”

But the debunked conspiracy theory posted by Kristof still made a fresh trip around social media, spread by the left without any regard for sharing the truth. Actress Mia Farrow was among the liberals advancing the discredited conspiracy.

Other Twitter users slammed the spreading of the “fake news.”

 

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