FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18)– Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke at the State Capitol Monday.

He spoke to the Federalist Society and had some strong words about the recent Pittsburgh and Louisville shootings. He usually spends time at the US Capitol and one of the first things he did was call the shootings in Louisville and Pittsburg hate crimes.

Here in Kentucky, two black grocery shoppers were killed in Louisville and witnesses heard the gunman say, “whites don’t shoot whites.” Then, over the weekend, worshippers were killed when a gunman opened fire in a synagogue in Pittsburg and police say he targeted them specifically because they were Jewish. McConnell said both of these situations are examples of hate crimes and he thinks prosecutors should go for the death penalty.

“I still believe the death penalty is appropriate in certain circumstances and these are the circumstances I would apply it to,” said McConnell.

When asked about whether the toxic political things being said in the country are getting to be too much and contributing to all of this hate, McConnell said he thinks things will calm down.

“The political rhetoric is always pretty hot before an election. This is not the first time, but I think the whole tone in the country needs to be ratcheted down,” he said.