'West Virginia's Roy Moore': Mitch McConnell adviser strikes back at GOP candidate's 'China people' ad

A former chief of staff and campaign manager to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has already struck back at GOP Senate candidate Don Blankenship for his latest ad calling the majority leader's in-laws his "China family."

"This clown is a walking, talking case study for the limitation of a prison’s ability to rehabilitate," McConnell adviser Josh Holmes tweeted, referencing Blankenship's year-long imprisonment for his role in subverting safety standards that led to the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster.

Holmes also called the former CEO of Massey Energy "West Virginia Roy Moore."

Thursday's ad wasn't the first time Blankenship referenced the nationality of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, McConnell's wife. In April, the candidate challenging Sen. Joe Manchin (D-KY) made headlines for calling Chao's father, a wealthy Chinese businessman, a "Chinaperson" in his attempts to claim McConnell purposefully outsources to the country. Blankenship has also taken to calling McConnell "Cocaine Mitch," a reference to the shipping company owned by the senator's father-in-law that his challenger claimed is responsible for importing billions of dollars worth of cocaine into the U.S.