When he testified before the House Judiciary Committee on June 11, comedian Jon Stewart was highly critical of the U.S. Senate for neglecting the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) — referencing a “certain someone” who kept using it as a “political football.” Stewart, during an interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace that aired on Sunday, confirmed that the “certain someone” was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. And McConnell was highly dismissive of Stewart during an appearance on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” the following Monday morning.

ADVERTISEMENT

During his interview with Wallace, Stewart asserted, “Mitch McConnell has been the white whale of this since 2010….. I want to make it clear that this has never been dealt with compassionately by Sen. McConnell. He has always held out until the very last minute — and only then, under intense lobbying and public shaming, has he even deigned to move on it.” But the Senate majority leader doesn’t see it that way.

When Steve Doocy, one of the “Fox and Friends” co-hosts, brought up Stewart’s criticisms, McConnell responded, “We’ve never failed to address this issue, and we will address it again. I don’t know why he’s all bent out of shape, but we will take care of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.”

McConnell responds to Jon Stewart's 9/11 VCF criticism: "I don't know why he's all bent out of shape" pic.twitter.com/u6qliTMxIw — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) June 17, 2019

Doocy mentioned that Stewart was disappointed because “so few members” of Congress showed up at the hearing where Stewart spoke last week. And McConnell responded, “Well, that frequently happens because members have a lot of things going on at the same time. It sounds to me like he’s looking for some way to take offense. There’s no way we won’t address this problem appropriately. We have in the past; we will again in the future.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, also known as the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, was established following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Stewart has been an aggressive and tireless advocate for the VCF, stressing that surviving 9/11 first responders continue to suffer from severe health problems as a result of their work at New York City’s World Trade Center 18 years ago.