McConnell’s office knocks Democrats over ‘the left’s Big Lie’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellLawmakers take stock of election laws in wake of Jan. 6 anniversary Clyburn on updating election law: ‘What is true today was not true then’ Republicans’ true failure since the last election MORE’s (R-Ky.) office knocked Democrats over “the left’s Big Lie” — which it pegged as the belief that “there is some evil anti-voting conspiracy sweeping America” — as Democrats look to push for federal voting rights legislation.

A memo from the minority leader’s office on Sunday predicts that Democrats will “try to use fake hysteria to break the Senate and silence millions of Americans’ voices so they can take over elections and ram through their radical agenda,” likely referring to calls by many Democrats to abolish the filibuster in the Senate to pass voting rights reforms.

“Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans have repeatedly stood up to the left and their Big Lie that there is some evil anti-voting conspiracy sweeping America,” the memo added.

The messaging from McConnell’s office comes as Democrats are planning to make national voting rights reform a top priority of the new year.

After Senate Republicans blocked the Democrats’ two key voting bills last year — the Freedom to Vote Act and the John LewisJohn LewisMichelle Obama announces push to register 1 million new voters ahead of midterms Clyburn knocks Manchin for arguing voting rights vote must be bipartisan Lawmakers take stock of election laws in wake of Jan. 6 anniversary MORE Voting Rights Advancement Act — the party is giving the GOP one last chance to cooperate on voting rights before attempting to go at it alone.

Senate Majority Leader Charles SchumerChuck SchumerClyburn on updating election law: ‘What is true today was not true then’ Biden eulogizes Reid as a fighter ‘for the America we all love’ Like it or not, all roads forward for Democrats go through Joe Manchin MORE (D-N.Y.) last week said he would force a vote on changing the Senate’s rules by Jan. 17 if Republicans again block voting rights legislation.

Many in the Democratic Party are in favor of nixing the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation, but two centrists — Sens. Joe ManchinJoe ManchinSALT change on ice in the Senate Clyburn knocks Manchin for arguing voting rights vote must be bipartisan Lawmakers take stock of election laws in wake of Jan. 6 anniversary MORE (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten SinemaKyrsten SinemaLawmakers take stock of election laws in wake of Jan. 6 anniversary White House sees clock ticking on voting rights push Schumer makes plea for voting bill, filibuster reform in rare Friday session MORE (D-Ariz.) — remain opposed.

Republicans, however, are hellbent on keeping the filibuster intact. The Senate GOP in a video released on Monday said Democrats want to nix the filibuster to “pass their radical agenda.”

The video characterizes the filibuster — a legislative hurdle requiring 60 votes for passage of bills — as a rule that “ensures millions of Americans have a voice in Congress.” It also accuses Democrats of wanting to silence Americans.

One area in which the two parties may be able to compromise is the Electoral Count Act, a decades old statute that outlines for Congress formally tallies the Electoral College vote.

Both McConnell and his No. 2, Sen. John ThuneJohn Randolph ThuneLawmakers take stock of election laws in wake of Jan. 6 anniversary Senate Minority Whip Thune, close McConnell ally, to run for reelection Schumer: McConnell floating Electoral Count Act reforms ‘unacceptably insufficient,’ ‘offensive’ MORE (R-S.D.), have said it is worth discussing, and some Democrats have had discussions about the law.