Senator Mitch McConnell is being hit with nasty attacks online including about his health as MAGA world responds with outrage over his reported rejection of allowing Donald Trump to install his cabinet without the usual Senate confirmations.
McConnell reportedly issued a warning to the president-elects team when he told colleagues that there will be no recess appointments.
Thats according to a post on X by New York staff writer Jane Mayer which has since been deleted on Sunday.
The response has been fast and furious with Trump supporters online slamming the 82-year-old senator for his health.
One X user called him Mr. Freeze referencing some episodes the Kentucky senator had in the past year. Another user wrote he is clearly not well.
A third wrote Mitch McConnell has had some be too many freeze ups. The man’s brain is no longer working.
The series of attacks stem from McConnell appearing to freeze up first at a news conference last summer for nearly 20 seconds before being escorted away. It was followed by a second episode also on camera in Kentucky.
McConnell announced his exit from Senate leadership but will remain in the Senate.
His remarks come as Trump has been naming a series of controversial picks to join his upcoming administration.
He has also called for them to be installed through recess appointments, thereby avoiding Senate vetting and Congressional oversight altogether.
McConnells reported comment was picked up by Trump ally and Utah Senator Mike Lee who wrote on X Sunday Remember that time when McConnell decided he wouldn’t be speaking for Senate Republicans anymore?
The backlash began after a now-deleted tweet from New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer claimed McConnell told colleagues there will be no recess appointments for the president-elects cabinet members
Recess appointments have been used in the past by past presidents including Bush, Clinton and Obama.
But in 2014, the Supreme Court ruled some of Obamas recess appointments were unconstitutional and such appointments could only be made when the recess lasts ten days or longer.
However, some of Trumps nominees could face an uphill climb being confirmed in the Senate.
Former Congressman Matt Gaetz who is tapped for Attorney General was investigated for sexual misconduct and illicit drug use by the House Ethics Committee. He was accused of sex with a minor. He denies all accusations.
TV personality Pete Hegseth who is Trumps choice to lead the Pentagon was accused of sexual assault and paid the accuser while denying the allegations.
Robert Kennedy Jr. a known anti-vaxxer is Trumps pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Some of President-elect Donald Trumps nominees for cabinet positions have faced pushback and outrage from for controversial pasts and limited experience
Trump s MAGA faithful were outraged after it was leaked that Senator Mitch McConnell pushed back on the president-elects push to thwart Senate oversight for his Cabinet nominations with recess appointments
Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida was one elected official to publicly deny to missive from Meyer.
Yes, there will, Scott said bluntly in response to the Mayer tweet.
But Scott, who also ran for the Senate Majority spot, lost to Thune after a private vote Wednesday morning.
Outside Congress, many of Trumps biggest supporters suspected McConnell of wanting to sabotage the Trump agenda.
This guy is in for a rude awakening if he thinks he’s going to usurp the will of 76 million people and dictate Trump’s second term, wrote a MAGA fan on X.
Snitch McConnell is trying to block Trump’s cabinet, added another.
Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA turned the question over to incoming leader Thune: Senator Thune, care to chime in? Is this your position?
Thune, the newly minted Senate Republican leader, was elected to usher in Trumps ambitious GOP agenda in Congress. DailyMail.com has reached out to spokespersons for Thune for comment.
The senior senator form South Dakota, 63, has had a complicated relationship with Trump over the years and many in the president-elects orbit didnt want him in charge of the MAGA agenda.
X users blast Mitch McConnell and bring up freezing episodes after his reported remark on recess appointments
John Thune, the incoming Senate Majority Leader, has expressed support for recess appointments. MAGA fans were outraged that McConnell, whom Thune is replacing, was trying to continue to throw his weight around
But in recent months, Thune has made his support for Trump known, becoming one of the first to endorse him during the primary. The pair reportedly talked on the phone after his victory Wednesday.
Thune has even come out and suggested recess appointments could be in play.
One thing is clear: We must act quickly and decisively to get the presidents Cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate weve been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments, Thune said over the weekend.
The recess appointments would nix any Senate confirmation hearings, which are intended to give voters a chance to view the candidates as they are grilled on their positions.
The last time a recess appointment was used was in 2012 under Obama before the Supreme Court ruling.
Neither Trump and President Biden have been unable to use them during their time in office.
The president-elects relationship with Congress was tumultuous in his first term as he chafed at resistance to his selections and sought ways to work around lawmakers.
Rick Scott, the Florida Senator whom Thune beat for the leadership position, promised there will be recess appointments, going against McConnell and leading the rage of Trumps base
With a sweeping election victory, he has become emboldened and demanded that Senate Republicans fall in line behind his agenda.
On Monday, Trump posted on X: Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner.
Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again.
We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY! Additionally, no Judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU!
X founder and close Trump ally Elon Musk, who is also said to be appointed the head of a new so-called Department of Government Efficiency, backed the move.
This is essential. There is no other way, Musk commented on Trumps post on X.
Musk then added: Without recess appointments, it will take two years or more to confirm the new administration!
This would make it impossible to enact the change demanded by the American people, which is utterly unacceptable.
Matt Gaetz (pictured center) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (pictured right) are considered two of the riskier nominations to Trumps cabinet
Elon Musk (pictured left) and Mike Johnson (pictured right) have both endorsed the use of recess appointments to confirm Tulsi Gabbard (pictured center left) and Kennedy (pictured center right)
Musk backed Senator Scott, who eventually lost the leadership race to Senator Thune.
Trump has several controversial picks for his cabinet that may struggle to get the 50 votes needed for Senate confirmation.
Republican senators, who will hold the majority starting in January, have expressed some doubts about whether some of the Trump nominees would be confirmed under normal circumstances, and several have expressed dismay over some of the choices.
Former George W. Bush Justice Department official John Yoo told DailyMail.com Thursday that a recess appointment is a complex matter.
The recess appointments clause in the Constitution effectively allows the President to appoint cabinet officers for about two years without the need for Senate confirmation, said Yoo.
However, that only happens if the House and Senate agree on when to adjourn.
Over the last few decades, the Senate has never been out for recess for more than a few days at a time, as they can hold pro forma sessions.
Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth is also considered a risky pick by Trump
Trump has promised to defy Congressional oversight and bypass the Senate confirmation process when appointing people to senior administration positions
That stops the president in power from conducting recess appointments whenever they wish.
Yoo went on to say that the Senate could retaliate by refusing to adjourn, refusing to confirm any inferior officers, and cutting off funding to these officers and refusing to cooperate on Trumps priorities.
The president-elect could try and force the Senate into recess himself or pressure Republicans to abdicate their own power, which Yoo says is unlikely.
Unless recess appointments are used, the confirmation process may be perilously slow, as it has become a difficult process in recent years.
George H.W. Bush had seven of his 15 cabinet members already confirmed by the Senate when he took office in 1989, according to the Partnership for Public Service.
Joe Biden had just one of his 36 cabinet members approved by a Democrat-majority Senate when he was inaugurated nearly four years ago.
Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all had 200 nominees confirmed by the time they had reached 200 days in office.
In that same amount of time, both Trump (119) and Biden (118) had significantly fewer, despite both belonging to parties that had control of the Senate in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
However, Clinton, Bush and Obama all had Senate majorities of 55 seats or higher when they took office, whereas Trump and Biden have never had more than 53 Senators on their side.
The three presidents before Trumps first term all had more than 200 nominees confirmed by 200 days in office. Trump had 119 and Biden had 118 confirmed nominees at that point, although Trump had nominated far fewer people than other presidents.