Apr 1, 2020 - Politics & Policy

McConnell: Impeachment distracted Trump admin from coronavirus response

Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Tuesday that the impeachment trial slowed the Trump administration's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The big picture: The administration is largely playing catch-up in handling the virus, extending its initial "15 days to slow the spread" ambitions to 30 days after cases surged nationwide.

Trump was acquitted of impeachment on Feb. 5, and the first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was confirmed in Washington state on Jan. 21.
The president declared a public health emergency and travel restrictions to China for the U.S. on Jan. 31.

What he's saying: "It came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial," McConnell said of the outbreak on "The Hugh Hewitt Show." "And I think it diverted the attention of the government because everything every day was all about impeachment."

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