1/ Mitch McConnell defended his decision to block an election security bill in a speech on the Senate floor, accusing his critics of engaging in “modern-day McCarthyism� to “smear� his record. McConnell and Senate Republicans blocked Democratic attempts to bring up several bipartisan election security bills for votes, including legislation to require a paper trail for ballots and the disclosure for online political ads. MSNBC host Joe Scarborough dubbed McConnell “Moscow Mitch� for the move with opinion columnist Dana Milbank labeling McConnell a “Russian asset.� McConnell has blamed Democrats for politicizing election security. Following McConnell’s speech, the hashtag #MoscowMitchMcTreason began trending on Twitter. (KTLA / Washington Post / New York Times / The Hill)

Trump defended McConnell and accused the Washington Post of being a “Russian asset.� McConnell “is a man that knows less about Russia and Russian influence than even Donald Trump, and I know nothing,� Trump said. (Washington Post)

📌 Day 917: Following Robert Mueller’s testimony and warnings about Russia’s continued attempts to interfere in U.S. elections, Senate Republicans blocked two election security bills and a cybersecurity measure. Democrats attempted to pass two bills by unanimous consent on Wednesday that would require campaigns to notify the FBI and the FEC if they receive offers of assistance from foreign governments. The other bill would let the Senate Sergeant at Arms offer voluntary cyber assistance for the personal devices and accounts of lawmakers and their staff. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked all three of the bills without giving any reason for her objections or indicating whether she blocked the bills on behalf of herself or the GOP caucus. Mueller testified yesterday that “The Russian government’s effort to interfere in our election is among the most serious� and that “it wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here. And they expect to do it during the next campaign.� (The Hill / CNN)

2/ Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence promoted the now-debunked conspiracy theory of an anti-Trump “secret society� operating within the FBI. John Ratcliffe claimed that the text messages between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok before the 2016 election were proof that the FBI was working against Trump, which fell apart when the exchange became public. Ratcliffe also misrepresented his role in an anti-terrorism case, claiming he had been appointed as a “special prosecutor� in 2008 to secure convictions for funneling money to Hamas, which is a designated terrorist organization. Court records and lawyers inv...