McConnell suggests Dems sabotaged supercommittee

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday accused Democrats and the White House of intentionally sabotaging the deficit-cutting supercommittee's work in order to gain a political edge in the 2012 elections. 

"It’s hard to escape the conclusion that some in the White House and even some Democrats here in the Senate were rooting for failure and doing what they could to ensure it," McConnell said, speaking on the Senate floor for the first time since the panel announced its failure last week. 

“I mean, what else are we supposed to think when the Democrats’ top political strategist here in the Senate goes out on national television and predicts failure two weeks ahead of the deadline and then comes right out and says yesterday that he thinks the outcome he predicted is good politically for the president?” the minority leader asked.

McConnell was referring to Senate Democrats’ top communicator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who predicted the supercommittee would fail to slash deficit spending back in early November. 

McConnell said that, in contrast, Republicans had always worked with Democrats in good faith to forge a deal.

“I know for a fact that Republicans wanted this committee to deliver, and the good news is we’ll still see $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction,” McConnell concluded.