Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy Reportedly Skipping Ceremony Honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Two of the most senior Republicans in Congress will not attend a ceremony at the Capitol today honoring the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to reporting from NBC.

NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Kasie Hunt reported on Friday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was listed as not attending while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy won’t attend either.

“Mitch McConnell is on the ‘list of regrets’ for the ceremony honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Capitol today, — where she is the first woman ever to lie in state, a source tells me,” Hunt tweeted.

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“GOP leader [McCarthy] is also not expected to attend and has not been seen,” she said.

As Hunt noted, the number two Republican in the House, Congressman Steve Scalise, is attending, along with Rep. Susan Brooks of Indiana. The absence of the two more senior Republicans is noteworthy, however.

The late associate justice of the Supreme Court is the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol and is revered as a liberal and women’s rights icon. McConnell has already said he will proceed to fill her seat.

President Donald Trump paid his respects to Ginsburg on Thursday but he was booed by the crowd while standing next to her coffin with his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.

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Darragh Roche

Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media