The homes of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were vandalized on Friday and Saturday after a proposal for $2,000 direct stimulus payments to Americans failed in the Senate.
“WERES [sic] MY MONEY” was graffitied on the front door of McConnell’s home in Louisville, Kentucky in what appeared to be white spray paint Saturday morning. “MITCH KILLS THE POOR” was written on a window.
The Louisville Metro Police Department is investigating the vandalism and has not identified any suspects yet.
McConnell, who had blocked the $2,000 stimulus proposal in the Senate, called the incident a “radical tantrum” and part of a “toxic playbook” in a statement.
“I’ve spent my career fighting for the First Amendment and defending peaceful protest,” he stated. “I appreciate every Kentuckian who has engaged in the democratic process whether they agree with me or not. This is different,” the Kentucky Republican said.
“Vandalism and the politics of fear have no place in our society. My wife and I have never been intimidated by this toxic playbook. We just hope our neighbors in Louisville aren’t too inconvenienced by this radical tantrum,” McConnell continued.
On New Year’s Day a day earlier, Pelosi’s San Francisco home was also vandalized by unidentified suspects who wrote graffiti on the garage door that included the phrases“$2K,” “Cancel rent!” and “We want everything,” and left a pig’s head on the sidewalk as well as fake blood, the San Francisco Police Department said.
Before signing the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill on Sunday, President Trump called the package “a disgrace” for including only a “measly $600” in individual direct payments to Americans and called on Congress to increase the payments to $2,000.
Trump’s remarks led to a bipartisan effort to pass a stand-alone measure on the $2,000 checks, supported by some Republicans in both the House and Senate. McConnell blocked the initiative on Wednesday.
The $2 trillion CARES Act, passed in the spring, included $1,200 stimulus checks.