Sen. McConnell criticizes administration as 'Chicago-style thuggish' on Boeing

The National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) lawsuit against Boeing shows that President Obama is running a "Chicago-style thuggish" administration, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said this week in a radio interview.

Appearing on the conservative Hugh Hewitt show Thursday evening, McConnell said the lawsuit was "unbelievable" and "truly outrageous." 

"The federal government is now, through the NLRB, going to tell you where you can locate your plant," he said. "You know, a lot of these big, global businesses, their response to that might be, 'Well, I’ll locate my plant in Mexico.' "

McConnell said he wasn't surprised a labor board under the Obama administration would take such a stance. 

"This is the same administration who has now tried to introduce politics into the procurement process by making people who do business with the government reveal their political support for candidates," he said. "This is a Chicago-style thuggish administration. In other words, 'Agree with us, or we’ll find a way to punish you.' "

The NLRB is suing Boeing for allegedly retaliating against strikes at a unionized plant in Washington state by opening a new facility to build 787 airplanes in South Carolina.

McConnell noted that there are 11 Democratic senators from so-called "right-to-work" states like South Carolina, where employers are not obliged to join a union.

"I’ve not heard from them yet, but this issue is just starting," he said. 

The White House has said the president will not comment on the lawsuit because the NLRB is an "independent agency."

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