FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chair Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S, May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo
Columnist Joe Gerth published a critical pre-mortem of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) while the 84-year-old remains hospitalized, recovering from pneumonia following a fall.
Gerth's column for the Courier-Journal, prompted by rumors about McConnell's condition and the recent death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, assesses McConnell's legacy as deeply damaging to American democracy.
Gerth argued McConnell, unlike Former President Richard Nixon, escaped accountability despite causing substantial harm to government trust and political discourse.
"McConnell’s shenanigans turned what had been a 5-4 conservative majority — with one member being a reliable swing vote — into a solid 6-3 radical conservative court. In the process, McConnell destroyed the court’s credibility with the American people," he wrote.
"His biggest failing may be his embrace of a president who he believes is stupid and who he believes led an attempt to overthrow the United States’ government on Jan. 6, 2021," he continued.
The columnist contends McConnell will be remembered not for principled stands but for enabling Trump's rise and destroying the Court's credibility.
"I'm glad I got that off my chest while he's still alive," Gerth concludes.
Watch the video below.