McConnell was hardly alone among Senate Republicans in raising doubts about Gabbard, Kennedy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose confirmation he opposed last month. Several colleagues who hail from the same traditionalist wing of the GOP aired similar concerns about those nominees’ fitness for office.

For the third time in three weeks, former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had a scathing explanation after he voted "no" on a Trump nominee. Why it matters: Freed from his leadership role and with a long history of antagonism between himself and President Trump,

President Trump added fuel to the fire in his feud with former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, claiming the longtime Kentucky senator lacked the mental sharpness to shepherd GOP members in the upper chamber.