Senator Mitch McConnell Addresses Progress Kentucky, Defends Record on Mental Health Issues

In a new op-ed piece, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell finally addresses a liberal super PAC accused of recording of his campaign office.McConnell has personally avoided talking about Progress Kentucky directly, but his re-election campaign and surrogates have focused on the groups in TV ads and news releases. Some observers have said the issue at hand isn't how the secret recording of the McConnell campaign was obtained, but aides talking about Ashley Judd's struggles with depression as a part of opposition research.The GOP leader takes time to respond to newspaper columnist Merlene Davis, who wrote McConnell owed Judd an apology for strategizing on how to attack the Hollywood actresses's past mental health problems but not before taking a swipe at the "partisan zealots" at Progress.From The Lexington Herald-Leader: Shortly after the FBI began investigating a criminal recording at my campaign headquarters, Davis penned an opinion column here echoing the framework of the left-wing journalist who obtained the illegally recorded audio in the first place. The message that sends of course is that the ends justify the means as long as you disagree with the politics of the victim. Setting aside the obvious breach of privacy allegedly perpetrated by the same partisan zealots who made ethnic slurs against my wife, I'd like to address some of the allegations.McConnell goes on to defend the strategy session, calling it a "private discussion of information made public by a prospective candidate." He says he has voted for legislation to help mental health such as a bill authorizing $82 million for youth suicide prevention programs.