It is an “interesting idea” for Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) to fund the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) with his personal funds, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — who is himself a millionaire — told Punchbowl News Thursday.
McConnell, whose net worth was estimated in 2018 to be $34,137,534, has been taking aim at Scott, who chairs the NRSC, for the way in which Scott is planning to defeat Senate Democrats in November. Scott has publicly described the minority leader’s criticisms as a “strategic disagreement.” But when McConnell’s allies have taken to writing articles condemning Scott’s leadership, the NRSC chairman called the actions “treasonous.”
On Tuesday, McConnell responded by claiming Scott should fund the NRSC with his own personal funds because the committee has less money in the bank than Democrats do. Scott made the decision to spend a large portion of the committee’s funds before Labor Day to “define” Democrats early.
“We did the right thing. We spent early,” Scott said on Fox News. “Here’s the problem with campaigns: If you wait until the last month, there’s too much static. There’s too much noise out there.”
“We’re defining the Democrats,” he added. “We’re helping our Republicans who went through tough primaries. And they’re now doing really well. We’re being competitive.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a former NRSC chairman, told Punchbowl everyone on the Republican team should be working hard to defeat Democrats in November:
I’m probably the second largest fundraiser for the NRSC. And I just think everybody needs to do everything that they’re capable of doing. Leader McConnell has got his little project he’s working on. But this is the time for all hands on deck. If somebody has got some capacity that they are willing to contribute, then God bless ‘em.
Cornyn’s reference to McConnell’s “little project” is about his super PAC, which is run by his former chief of staff, Steven Law. Questions have arisen as to whether McConnell’s team is doing everything it can do to help Republicans retake the Senate. The PAC has put funds behind Republican candidates but has the power to direct the funds to whomever McConnell’s team favors.
And for the moment, the McConnell-backed PAC does not appear to favor Trump-endorsed candidate Blake Masters in Arizona. The PAC pulled about $8 million from the race and reportedly redirected the funds to other Senate races. When McConnell was questioned by MAGA donor Peter Thiel as to why the funds left the race, McConnell responded that Thiel should give more money, the Washington Post reported last week.
After the Post’s report, Scott slammed McConnell for being “responsible” for losing the Senate in 2020 while working against the party in 2022:
Sen. McConnell and I clearly have a strategic disagreement here … We have great candidates. … And I think it’s important that we’re all cheerleaders for our candidates. … If you trash talk our candidates … you hurt our chances of winning, and you hurt our candidates’ ability to raise money. … I know they’re good candidates, because I’ve been talking to them and they’re working their butts off.
It should be noted former President Donald Trump reportedly tried to recruit Scott to replace McConnell as GOP senate leader. Scott reportedly responded by stating he is focused on retaking the Senate majority from the Democrats.
Under McConnell’s leadership, illegal immigration has flourished, the national debt has grown by nearly $20 trillion, and real wages for American workers have remained stagnant since the 1970s. Obamacare was enacted in 2010. Big financial institutions were bailed out in 2008, and social media companies have disappeared individuals without repercussions. Dr. Anthony Fauci remains unaccountable for allegedly lying twice to Congress.
During McConnell’s time in the Senate, McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, has accumulated an estimated net worth of $24 million dollars in connection with her father’s shipping company, which is linked to China’s biggest state-funded shipyards.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.