— Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday there has been an "outrageous mischaracterization" of his history on voting rights and race relations in response to a misspoken comment he made about Black voter turnout.  .

A backlash built up after McConnell responded Wednesday to a question about voting-related concerns voiced by voters of color by saying: "Well, the concern is misplaced, because if you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.".

I think this mischaracterization of my record is offensive and outrageous.

It's hurtful and offensive, and I think some of the critics know it's totally nonsense," McConnell said Friday. .

McConnell — who has opposed congressional Democrats' failed efforts to pass a major piece of election legislation, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — again emphasized Friday there have been recent increases in voter turnout for both Black Americans and Americans overall.

However, data shows turnout among Black voters historically has lagged behind turnout for white voters, including in the 2020 presidential election.

"It's still against the law — has been for over 50 years — to try to prevent someone from voting on the basis of race," he said