A man seen in a viral video declining to shake Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellDemocratic senator to party: 'A little message discipline wouldn't kill us' House to vote on resolution affirming peaceful transition of power Republican lawyers brush off Trump's election comments MORE’s (R-Ky.) hand at the late Rep. Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene CummingsBlack GOP candidate accuses Behar of wearing black face in heated interview Overnight Health Care: US won't join global coronavirus vaccine initiative | Federal panel lays out initial priorities for COVID-19 vaccine distribution | NIH panel: 'Insufficient data' to show treatment touted by Trump works House Oversight Democrats to subpoena AbbVie in drug pricing probe MORE's (D-Md.) funeral said the snub wasn’t based on his loyalty to Cummings as a friend.

The man, identified as Bobby Rankin, told The Washington Post on Monday he blamed McConnell for denying veterans’ benefits to his brother before he died last October from cancer after being exposed to contaminated water while serving in the Marines.

“When I saw Mitch McConnell, all I saw was my brother’s face,” Rankin told the Post. ADVERTISEMENT

In a 16-second clip, Rankin, one of Cummings's pallbearers, is seen passing over McConnell while shaking the hands of congressional leaders. He skips straight from shaking the hand of Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Cruz blocks amended resolution honoring Ginsburg over language about her dying wish MORE (D-N.Y.) to Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiDemocratic senator to party: 'A little message discipline wouldn't kill us' Overnight Health Care: New wave of COVID-19 cases builds in US | Florida to lift all coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, bars | Trump stirs questions with 0 drug coupon plan Overnight Defense: Appeals court revives House lawsuit against military funding for border wall | Dems push for limits on transferring military gear to police | Lawmakers ask for IG probe into Pentagon's use of COVID-19 funds MORE (D-Calif.), apparently snubbing McConnell, who stands between the top Democrats.

The clip was widely shared on Twitter, but Rankin told the Post he hadn’t seen the video until a reporter from the newspaper contacted him.

Rankin told the Post that Cummings reached out to McConnell to help get Rankin’s brother his military benefits.

“I could not put my hands in the man’s hand who refused to help somebody who served his country,” Rankin told the Post, later adding, “I couldn’t do it, because I was thinking about my brother.”

He said his brother was already on his mind when he spotted McConnell, as it was near the anniversary of his brother’s death. He told the paper he wasn’t clear about why his brother didn't receive his benefits or McConnell’s precise role in the battle to get them after the cancer returned.

A spokesperson for McConnell’s office was not immediately available for comment.

Rankin met Cummings at a gas station in Baltimore more than two decades ago and stayed close as Cummings continued his political career, according to the Post.

“When I carry him to his grave, if I could say something to him, I would say something I said to him many, many times before,” Rankin told the Post. “What a mighty, mighty man he is.”

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