Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, dismissed concerns on Monday that American democracy was facing a grave threat.
Speaking at a chamber of commerce luncheon in Scott County, Ky., Mr. McConnell challenged the idea that democracy was under siege. He was responding to a question about a recent NBC News poll that identified threats to democracy as the top concern of respondents, followed by inflation.
“Our democracy is solid,” Mr. McConnell said. “And I don’t think — of the things that we need to worry about, I wouldn’t be worried about that one.”
“There were those who were trying to prevent the orderly transfer of power for the first time in American history,” he said. “That was not good. It was thwarted.”
Mr. McConnell brought up the issue of election fraud in response to the same question. He said there was “very little voter fraud,” a contrast to false claims by former President Donald J. Trump of widespread irregularities.
In a recording of his remarks from ABC News that contains some brief gaps in audio and video, Mr. McConnell did not appear to specify whether he was referring to a lack of fraud in Kentucky or the whole United States — and a spokesman for Mr. McConnell, David Popp, declined to elaborate on Tuesday about his comments.
Mr. McConnell’s portrayal of election fraud as a minor issue could antagonize Mr. Trump. Even Republicans who do not embrace Mr. Trump’s false claims of a “stolen” election in 2020 have argued that U.S. elections...
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