LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell had some stern words for "far-left activists," as well as state and national media that he said made a "fact-free rush to judgement" during the recent national debate involving students from Covington Catholic High School.
In a statement on Wednesday, McConnell blasted the media's handling of the news story.
"Far-left activists and members of the national and state media isolated a few seconds of video footage from any shred of context, and many decided it was time to attack and denigrate these young people," McConnell said.
"Because of what some highly partisan observers thought they saw in a few seconds of confusing video, these kids, their school, and their families were met with a deluge of partisan vitriol and hatred from people who never met them and had no idea what had taken place."
McConnell also criticized some "prominent figures" for using the "pile on" to "propose curtailing the First Amendment for groups with whom they disagreed, even targeting the students' hats."
Earlier this week, Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) tweeted, "I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of teenagers wearing MAGA hats until we can figure out what is going on. They seem to be poisoning young minds."
Yarmuth later added the tweet was meant to be a "joke," but that he was standing by it.
Covington Catholic is at the center of a social media firestorm over video of students in Washington, D.C. The initial video, which lasted only a few seconds, provoked widespread national outrage. It appears to show a student, identified as Nick Sandmann, standing and smiling in an apparent silent face-off with a Native American organizer of a march at the Lincoln Memorial.
Other students, some wearing Covington clothing and many wearing "Make America Great Again" hats and sweatshirts, surrounded them, chanting, laughing and jeering.
But additional, longer videos surfaced over the weekend, apparently adding additional context to the encounter. At one point, an off-camera voice was heard saying, "White people, go back to Europe where you came from," and the same voice can be heard later saying, "This is not your land." The full context of the quotes was unclear.
The full text of McConnell's statement can be read below:
"I need to say a few words about something that took place this past weekend. Last week, Kentuckians of all ages traveled to our nation's capital to exercise our fundamental American rights – to peacefully assemble and petition the government. Unfortunately for the students of Covington Catholic High School, their participation has resulted in threats on their lives.
"Far-left activists and members of the national and state media isolated a few seconds of video footage from any shred of context, and many decided it was time to attack and denigrate these young people. Because of what some highly partisan observers thought they saw in a few seconds of confusing video, these kids, their school, and their families were met with a deluge of partisan vitriol and hatred from people who never met them and had no idea what had taken place.
"Some prominent figures even used this pile-on to propose curtailing the First Amendment for groups with whom they disagreed, even targeting the students' hats. How quickly some seem to forget why the Framers insisted on those protections in the first place.
"In a matter of hours, these students were tried, convicted, and sentenced by the media where accuracy is irrelevant and the presumption of innocence does not exist. To their credit, some apologized for their commentary upon learning more. But by that point, too much damage had already been done.
"Because of the startling death threats against the students and their families, Covington Catholic was closed yesterday. The school's administration is working closely with law enforcement, but it’s unclear when any sense of normalcy might return.
"This time, it's families in my home state who are paying the price for exercising their freedoms. Sadly, this kind of fact-free rush to judgement is becoming an all-too-common occurrence.
"If we can learn anything from this weekend, I hope it's this: When the rush for headlines takes precedence over the facts, mistakes are made and our rights as Americans are put at risk. This trend is particularly troubling when young people are involved."
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