Pelosi knocks 'Moscow Mitch' for blocking bills

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed 'Moscow Mitch' - a derisive nickname for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell - in a speech on Wednesday for blocking bills aimed at preventing gun violence and foreign election interference.

"We all want to invest in building our democracy and saving it from any enemies foreign and domestic, so we've sent our legislation to the Senate," Pelosi said at the Illinois Democrats’ “Democrat Day” event in Springfield. "'Moscow Mitch' says that he is the 'Grim Reaper" ... that he's going to bury all this legislation. Well, we have news for him. All this legislation is alive and well in the general public."

McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has been sharply criticized in recent weeks after he blocked two election security bills that Democrats put forward following former special counsel Robert Mueller's testimony on Russian election interference. Mueller warned that Russia was already preparing to interfere in the 2020 election "as we sit here," calling the Kremlin's efforts "the new normal." The move earned McConnell the nickname ‘Moscow Mitch,’ suggesting he is giving cover to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has expressed anger about the nickname comparing the attacks to "modern-day McCarthyism."

Pelosi's call to action comes as Democrats ramp up pressure the Senate to pass a universal background check bill after the two shootings — one in Dayton, Ohio, and another in El Paso, Texas — left at least 29 dead and 53 injured in a matter of just 13 hours. The Senate is currently in recess until September. McConnell, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, has not signaled he would end the break.

McConnell has also drawn criticism from Democrats for blocking H.R.8, or the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which would create new background check requirements for gun transfers between unlicensed individuals. It passed the Democrat-controlled House in February 240-190.

"We must pass gun violence prevention legislation. Every day we lose lives," Pelosi said. "We've been waiting since February, and now public sentiment must weigh in to save lives to pass our bill."