McConnell's office claims factual errors riddle DNC's 'hypocrisy' charge

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) office accused Democrats of distorting facts by calling him a stimulus "hypocrite."

The top Senate Republican took exception to his inclusion in a list of GOP lawmakers who opposed the $787 billion stimulus act, only to have claimed benefits from the bill in their home states or districts.

His office also suggested that the alleged error undermines the factual basis for many other of the Democratic National Committee's claims of hypocrisy among Republicans.

At issue is McConnell's work at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, a military installation where chemical weapons previously manufactured by the U.S. are being destroyed, as is required by 2012 under a treaty the government has signed.

Democrats said -- citing local media reports -- that when McConnell appeared with Rep. Ben Chandler (D) this past summer at the Army depot, the Senate GOP leader took credit for the roughly $5 million in funds flowing to the base, and praised the potential job creation to result.

But McConnell's office said that the senator wasn't referring to those stimulus programs on the base, but rather long-standing programs for which he's sought $133 million in federal funding since 1999.

“When you see recklessness like the attack from DNC today you can start to understand how it’s possible for some people to unapologetically waste massive amounts of taxpayer dollars," spokesman John Ashbrook said. "Not only is their attack inaccurate, even the most basic homework could inform the DNC research team that Senator McConnell has worked tirelessly on the Bluegrass Army Depot since his first days in office twenty-five years ago and he’ll work tirelessly on it long after they’re gone.”

But the DNC fired back at that line of reasoning late Wednesday, charging McConnell's office was still mincing the truth.

"[T]he facts are these: Mitch McConnell has repeatedly bashed the Recovery Act. Mitch McConnell was later caught red-handed at a project at the Bluegrass Army Depot -- the same Depot which is fueled by Recovery Act dollars -- where he touted additional funding for the Depot because it would create jobs for the Commonwealth of Kentucky," noted Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the DNC. 

“If Senator McConnell is sincere in saying that his praise was meant for a separate earmark and not recovery dollars, we look forward to the event he has at the Bluegrass Army Depot where he condemns the nearly $6 million in Recovery Act investments that are creating jobs there," Sevugan concluded.  We’ll send a camera.”

Democrats have sought to pin GOP members of Congress as hypocrites in a barrage of media appearances, press releases, and videos over the past few days. The campaign comes on the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the stimulus act into law.

McConnell was used as a prominent example of the alleged hypocrisy in the web video released by the DNC on Wednesday morning. 

(This post was updated at 6:42 p.m.)