Harry Reid Attacks Republicans' Patriotism For Enabling Donald Trump

PHILADELPHIA ― Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) delivered a characteristically scathing indictment of congressional Republicans in his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, once again blaming them for the rise of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Reid, who has accused Republicans of sowing the political seeds for Trump’s demagoguery in the past, reserved his harshest criticism for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

“I’ve never seen anything more craven than Mitch McConnell and what he has done to our democracy,” Reid said.

“His Republican Party decided that the answer to hardworking Americans’ dreams is to slander our African-American president, stoke fear of Muslims, sow hatred of Latinos, insult Asians and, of course, wage war against women,” Reid added. “In other words, the only thing Republicans, like Mitch McConnell, have accomplished is setting the stage for a hateful con man, Donald Trump.”

Reid went on to accuse Republicans of refusing to stand up to Trump once he launched his campaign.

“They say they believe in ‘Country First.’ What a joke,” Reid said. “Republicans who won’t stand up to Trump believe in one thing and one thing only: ‘Party First.’”

Reid’s remarks were received warmly in the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, attesting to his popularity among Democratic activists and insiders. By contrast, McConnell was booed when he spoke to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last week.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims ― 1.6 billion members of an entire religion ― from entering the U.S.