The Washington Post is running a smear campaign against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, claiming he is helping Russia to pursue its interests.

The smear attacks began with an opinion article titled, “McConnell’s new posture toward Moscow.” The author of the piece tweeted out his article with the caption, “Mitch McConnell has been key to helping Russian oligarchs with ties to Putin skirt U.S. sanctions and invest in an aluminum mill in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky.”

Mitch McConnell has been key to helping Russian oligarchs with ties to Putin skirt U.S. sanctions and invest in an aluminum mill in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky. My Sunday column… https://t.co/q8dctEMFn8 — Dana Milbank (@Milbank) August 3, 2019

Many of the accusations in this article are baseless and hoax-driven. Once the article gained traction and stoked controversy, the author even redacted some of his statements in the article.

He initially claimed McConnell blocked all election-security bills. He then released a public statement saying, “I exaggerated last week in saying McConnell has blocked ‘all’ election-security bills since Congress authorized $380 million for the purpose last year; senators unanimously passed, for example, relatively minor measures clarifying that hacking a voting system is a federal crime and denying entry to foreign nationals who have violated U.S. election law.”

This article’s baseless accusations should come as no surprise, especially considering the Washington Post essentially fueled the three-year collusion campaign against President Donald Trump.

Even after the Mueller report’s release, the Washington Post still conflates the Trump administration with the Russia collusion conspiracy.

On Aug. 4, the Washington Post tweeted out an article with a picture of a hamburger entitled, “Even one of Trump’s favorite foods has a hidden Russia connection.”

From the Magazine: Even one of Trump’s favorite foods has a hidden Russia connection https://t.co/p7dEZAvBuS — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 5, 2019

The Washington Post is now insinuating that eating hamburgers can make you a Russian hack. Meanwhile, in 2016, its print edition was publishing pro-Russia propaganda.

Russia is "a safe space for investors" The @washingtonpost printing pre$$e$ urge readers to go Russian with their e-trade selections. #PolitburoPost pic.twitter.com/sz2jCc7xok — John Ashbrook (@JohnAshbrook) August 3, 2019

McConnell’s reelection campaign has been tackling the recent uptick in press coverage with a hint of humor on its Twitter account. It tweeted out, “They caught us, @realDonaldTrump.”

It also created the hashtag #MoscowMitch to poke fun at the ridiculous allegations the Washington Post pushed.

While the Washington Post article on McConnell and Trump’s ties to Russia can hardly be considered legitimate, this controversy has only helped to elevate Trump’s claims that the mainstream media are out to attack Republicans.

Baseless attacks, such as this article by the Washington Post, aimed at delegitimizing Republicans may just be the reason Trump gets reelected in 2020.