>> narrator: amid a republican leadership shakeup in the house... >> this has all been like a long round of musical chairs in which

nobody is winning... >> narrator: the uncertain future for the powerful republican in the senate... >> i'm not sure who would replace him if he weren't there. he's the indispensable figure in the republican party, for a stable center-right point of view. >> narrator: and his legacy. >> that's the big accomplishment getting more conservative judges. >> he had the power to do it and so he did it. >> narrator: now on frontline - "mcconnell, the gop and the court." >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. additional support is provided by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence in journalism... park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more at macfound.org. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from

jon and jo annagler. and additional support from koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. support for this program was provided by the jonathan logan family foundation, empowering world-changing work. >> narrator: the most powerful republican in the united states senate was holding a routine press conference. >> mitch mcconnell is now the longest-serving republican senator from kentucky. >> well, good afternoon, everyone. >> he's the longest-serving republican leader in history. >> we're on a path to finishing... >> he has been enormously powerful and enormously consequential. he is the adult in the republican party. >> ...and a string of, uh, uh...

>> senate republican leader mitch mcconnell alarmed his colleagues when he froze during a news conference. >> ...suffering an episode in front of the cameras, unable to speak for quite some time. >> ...quickly turning to concern for the health of senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. >> anything else you want to say, or should we just go back to the office? do you want to say anything else to the press? >> (murmuring) >> it's very alarming to everybody watching it to see that happen. the political animals in this town immediately saw this as a sign that power is ebbing away. and that someone will come to challenge sooner rather than later. >> concern is growing for the 81-year-old leader. a fall in march left him with a concussion and fractured rib,

and for months, the senator has sometimes used a wheelchair. >> the episodes have raised questions about mcconnell's role as senate republican leader. >> i'm not sure who would replace him if he weren't there. because right now, he's the indispensable figure in the republican party, as well as the american government, for a stable, center-right point of view. >> the attending physician for the capitol says mcconnell is not suffering strokes, nor showing signs of parkinson's disease. >> senate republican leader mitch mcconnell insisting there's no reason for him to step down. >> ...uncertain what will happen in the next congress or if he'll run again in 2026. >> narrator: mitch mcconnell, the consummate political operator... ...who reshaped the supreme court and ushered in an era of partisanship and polarization through shrewd choices and sacrifices facing ongoing challenges, politically and physically, to his long hold on power.

>> "remember me." >> this is polio. some may carry the mark and burden of polio paralysis for life. >> narrator: polio. mitch mcconnell was only two years old when it struck. >> would they recover, or would polio never be over for them? >> today, it's hard to imagine how scary polio was. there was no cure for it. i had classmates who were in an iron lung-- in other words, lying on their back, breathing with help all day long-- some died from it. >> there are so many to be remembered in the grim polio fight ahead. for them, polio is still a terrible reality.

>> "you can walk, but you can't walk." that's what my mom would say to me after i was struck with polio at age two to explain why she wouldn't let me get up on my feet. >> he was basically confined to a bedroom. and his mother would come in and they would do the physical therapy. that put him in a very difficult spot for such a young child. his father was off to war. his mother was left to take care of him. it had to be one of the most difficult, isolating things in the world. >> all i knew was thatas other kids my age were easily learning to run, jump, and climb, i was fighting from the confines of my bed for the chance to one day do the same. >> you're stuck in a room, and you're left with yr own thoughts so much. it's got to have had a huge psychological impact. i suspect, to a certain extent, it affected his ability to relate to other people, since he missed

several formative years of, of developing socialization skills. >> narrator: he finally learned to walk, but mitch would have a limp for the rest of his life. >> polio for mitch mcconnell was his first big challenge. and it's something that gave him this sense of, if you face a challenge, you can overcome it. and you've seen that mentality play out at various junctures in his career. >> narrator: he was often alone-- an only child, his life upended by frequent moves around the south as his dad worked for the army. eventually, they ended up in louisville, kentucky. >> i was halfway through the eighth grade, preparing to enter high school. the idea of starting over in a wholly unfamiliar place made this already daunting transition feel even more so. i was overwhelmed by how big the school was,

so much so that i immediately became an introvert. but although i couldn't know this at the time, these first uneasy months would spur me to set a clear, if seemingly out-of-reach, goal that would set the course of my life. >> he tells the story of seeing an upperclassman speaking at a school assembly and recognizing the power that that person seemed to have, and how much he would like to be able to have that. he recognized that people had power in politics. that appealed to him. >> narrator: the lonely kid had found his calling: politics. >> i mean, he was kind of the ultimate political nerd growing up. what other people would channel into sports, he channeled into these political competitions in school, like running for student body president or student council. he really took it super-seriously. >> "that would be something," i said, "getting to be president of that big school

"and having the respect of your peers and an influence over the direction of the school." >> he knew from the get-go that he wasn't a popular person, that he wasn't charismatic, right? that he wasn't going to win because people liked him. so he was smart enough at the time to figure out, "well, if people aren't going to like me, then i have to get the popular kids to say they like me." so he literally went to the cheerleaders and the football players and convinced them to, to endorse him. >> narrator: mitch mcconnell won. >> having had my first taste of the responsibility and respect that came from holding elected office, i was hooked. >> the fascination with respect or power, however you want to define it, is a through line for mitch mcconnell. he was drawn to politics because it's something that gave him a feeling of the feedback of having people's respect. (people talking in background)

>> narrator: and when it came to politics in deeply democratic kentucky, mitch mcconnell was a rarity-- a republican. >> his dad had a really strong feeling towards eisenhower, who was the republican candidate for president in 1952. and then mitch kind of took that on. and that was the beginning of his republicanism. >> if you look at his yearbook picture, he's got an "i like ike" button, you know? he's a politics nerd from, like, the very beginning. >> being a republican in kentucky in those days would be very lonely. you would certainly get used to being in the minority. that inculcates a certain iconoclasm, or a certain willingness to go against the crowd. >> narrator: and on a central issue of the time-- civil rights-- mcconnell and his parents also stood out. >> on this issue, my parents were far ahead of their time

and years beyond their peers. from an early age, they taught me that everyone deserved equal opportunities and the right to vote. >> you're growing up in a, at a time, you know, in the '60s, obviously, where segregati and outright discrimination was still rampant across the whole united states. and yet here you had a republican who identified with the, with the civil rights. (crowd cheering) >> i have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. >> he was an intern in washington in 1963 when martin luther king, jr., led the march on washington, the famous, iconic "i have a dream" speech. and he was able to see the crowds going to that speech. >> narrator: while in college and law school, mcconnell was swept up in the moment, campaigning for civil rights and writing op-eds. >> in order to realize the ideals of the constitution,

all segments of society must do their part to insure the basic rights of all citizens, regardless of race, creed, or national origin. >> narrator: mcconnell's idealism and ambition would be tested, as anti-civil rights forces gained power in the republican party. >> our republican cause is to free our people... >> narrator: led by the hard-right presidential candidate barry goldwater. >> barry goldwater was driven by the energy in the republican party at the time. and the energy at the time was on the right wing. farthest right, the john birch society. >> i would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. (crowd cheers and applauds)

>> narrator: as a senator, goldwater had voted against the civil rights act. >> to say that i was extremely disappointed that goldwater voted against the civil rights bill doesn't nearly capture how upset i was. so great was my anger, in fact, that on november the third, 1964, i cast my vote for lbj. >> he was clearly an idealistic young man. he had a conscience. he was moved by trying to do what was right. and that, you know, that is a... that's all to his credit. >> narrator: but upon returning to louisville to launch his political career, mcconnell would start to show just what kind of politician he would be. >> he was a young lawyer here in town, like so many others. and i think that he was somewhat underwhelming, really. he, he did not have a boisterous personality.

he was not a frat boy type. he was buttoned up, he always had his tie on, and he looked a little bit out of place. >> narrator: in a town dominated by democrats, mcconnell ran for county executive as a republican. >> he had learned his lesson in high school, that you have to win over the popular kids. who were the popar kids in louisville, kentucky, in 1977? the democrats. it's a democratic city in a democratic state. it's very blue. >> narrator: he worked to get an endorsement from the left-leaning local newspaper. >> "courier" journalism is quality journalism, the kind of journalism the region's been getting for over a hundred years. >> narrator: keith runyon was an editor at the newspaper. >> he came into the editorial board room at the "courier-journal," where i worked, for his endorsement interview, and he sat down and he answered our questions.

he ce off as being enlightened, thoroughly honest, and he did a very, very good job in his interview. >> narrator: he was one of the few republicans to ever get the endorsement of the paper. it helped to convince democratic voters. and he won. >> you know, and i think he's adept enough at saying what all those people like to hear. and he was climbing the greasy pole. (people talking and laughing in background) and when you are climbing the greasy pole, you grab for whatever traction you can find. >> narrator: after just two terms as county executive, mcconnell decided to make a bold leap: he'd run for the united states senate. >> he's running to unseat somebody who's fairly popular and who he doesn't really have that much of a shot against. and he's doing this as a republican in a state that's still not completely swinging that way. but mcconnell calls in roger ailes.

>> narrator: roger ailes-- a controversial political operative and the future founder of fox news. >> ailes loved the combat of it. ailes loved conflict, and he loved to stick it to the opponent. he gave mcconnell fair warning, you know, "we can do it the old-fashioned way, we can, we can try to puff you up." but as ailes said, that's not going to work. >> narrator: ailes offered mcconnell a choice. >> "do you want to look nice, or do you want to take out your opponent and win this thing?" "i want to do what it takes," i said. "i want to win this thing." "then leave the ads to me." >> at the time, that was a controversial choice. you know, do you, do you go negative? it was, there was kind of a stigma attached to, being overly negative. mitch mcconnell wants to win. i mean, and that was a fundamental decision that you had to make back then. >> narrator: in a sign of what was to come in his political life,

mcconnell put his ambitions first. he went negative: attacking democrat dee huddleston for missing votes to make paid speeches. >> my job was to find dee huddleston and get him back to work. huddleston was missing big votes on social security, the budget, defense-- even agriculture! huddleston was skipping votes but making an extra $50,000 giving speeches. >> mitch mcconnell is a ruthless campaigner. and he will pull no punches. he is renowned in kentucky and nationally to be an incredible strategist when it comes to finding the weakest part of his opponent and seizing upon it. >> maybe we ought to let him make speeches d switch to mitch for senator. (dog barks) >> and the pollsters told us that after that ad aired all over kentucky, mitch started to go up in the polls. >> it was a come-from-behind race and the odds were against him, running against a two-term democratic incumbent in a state where democrats outnumber republicans

two-and-a-half to one. >> (chanting): we want mitch! we want mitch! >> the fact that he decided to go low in that campaign was an important lesson. this is a legitimate tactic. just basically be forceful, and when you have to be ugly, you have to be ugly. >> it's morning again in america, and under the leadership of president reagan, our country is brighter and stronger and better. >> narrator: mcconnell's election came in the midst of a dramatic political moment. >> reagan really represented new power within the party. conservatives had really started to seize the commanding heights of the party in a way that would profoundly change the landscape of american politics. >> it is almost a totally clean sweep for reagan. >> narrator: ronald reagan had won 49 states, winning in kentucky by almost 300,000 votes.

mcconnell had barely won by 5,000. >> mitch saw the shift going in the south-- the south was going to move to the right. mcconnell knew that there were tectonic changes going in american life, and he couldn't master the tectonic changes-- he could adapt to them. >> narrator: he'd move to the right, embrace reagan's conservatism, and he let everyone know it. >> not long after he won that race, he was having a meal with keith runyon, who wrote that original editorial endorsing mitch mcconnell at the louisville "courier-journal." >> and when breakfast was over, he said, "keith, i don't know that you all will ever endorse me again." and i said, "well, why is that?" he said, "because i'm going to have to become much more conservative conserthan you all are."cted,

and so he became. >> and keith always remembers this moment. he talks about it like, "i just couldn't believe it. "this person i thought he was, he's turning into something else." mitch mcconnell's like... (blows out): "of course i said that! "of course, i would have to move to the right. it's my job now," you know? "that's where the republican party is going. "i see where it's going. and i'm going to go with the wind." (camera shutters clicking) >> good to see you. >> narrator: to gain power in ronald reagan's washington... >> i do believe that's mitch mcconnell. >> narrator: ...mcconnell needed an issue to demonstrate his conservative credentials. and he would find one in an explosive political moment. >> that's a great idea. >> mitch mcconnell was present at the creation, for better or worse, of modern politics. one great episode in that was the bork confirmation fight.

>> it is with great pleasure and deep respect that i nominate united states court of appeals judge robert h. bork to be an associate justice of the supreme court. >> that episode was, i think, a watershed moment in american history. >> narrator: liberals outraged at bork's conservative views launched a political assault with protests, phone banks... >> we are going to keep abortion safe and legal in new york. >> narrator: ...and attack ads. >> this represented an attack on bork primarily because of his views. that would be the way mcconnell would look at it and the way i looked at it. (gavel tapping) >> mr. kennedy... >> narrator: at that time, mcconnell was powerless. >> the yeas are 42... >> narrator: he watched as the democrat-controlled senate overwhelmingly defeated bork's nomination. >> the bork nomination was a crucible, a turning point. it's made him particularly focused on supreme court battles

and, and particularly ruthless in the way he conducts them. >> senator from kentucky. >> and so to robert bork, you happen to be the one who set the new senate standard that will be applied, in my judgment, by a majority of the senate prospectively. unfortunately, it got set over your dead body, so to speak, politically. >> the bork confirmation fight was so stunning, and so bitter, that this was a moment when i think mcconnell rightly said, "the rules have changed. "i don't make the rules, but i can play by them, and can master them." >> we're gonna do it when we want to. and when we want to is gonna be when the president, whoever he may be, sends up somebody we don't like. >> and if you go back and look at the speech that mcconnell made, he said, "sooner or later, this will come back to haunt you.

get ready, it'll happen to you all, too." that was the beginning of his long-term concern about the courts. ♪ ♪ >> narrator: in the years that followed, mcconnell would be a ceral combatant in the judicial wars... >> ...that i will nominate judge clarence thomas to serve as associate justice... >> narrator: ...as democrat and republican presidents tried to tip the balance of the court. >> he kind of makes it his mission to try to leave a lasting legacy, because judgeships are, you know, they can last a lifetime, right? >> ...expected to approve the nomination of john roberts as chief justice... >> the president sent congress the name of his nominee... >> if he wants to leave a lasting mark on the couny... >> president obama nominated elena kagan to the united states supreme court... >> ...this is the way to leave a mark. >> narrator: through it all, mcconnell had been climbing to power in the g.o.p. senate majority whip, republican leader,

and finally, majority leader >> there's nobody who's more focused on political conquest than he is. there may not have ever been anybody who has spent his entire life calculating. he knows more than everybody else. it was h much he could win and how much power he could achieve. >> narrator: mcconnell had real power. and, still holding on to that grievance about what had happened to robert bork, he waited for the right moment to use it. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news just in to us here at cnn. united states supreme court justice antonin scalia has died. >> scalia, the intellectual force on the right on the court, suddenly dies. so what's at stake is the ideological balance on the court. >> with that vacancy, the question is, will a republican-controlled senate allow president obama to replace scalia? >> i think it's very clearly the most consequential decision

mitch mcconnell made in his public career. >> mitch mcconnell doesn't even wait for the day to end after antonin scalia dies to put out a statement saying, in effect, "we're not going to let president obama replace him." that, "it's an election year, "we're going to wait for the next president to nominate somebody." >> majority leader mitch mcconnell just releasing... >> this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president. >> it was a bold move on senator mcconnell's part, to basically stand in the way of a president being able to nominate someone to fill a seat on the supreme court. >> four-and-a-half weeks after justice scalia died... >> narrator: with almost a year left in his presidency, barack obama forged ahead, undeterred by mcconnell's threat. >> today, i am nominating chief judge merrick brian garland to join the supreme court. >> mitch mcconnell joins us now from capitol hill.

senator, thanks for being here. >> narrator: on television, mcconnell went on the offensive. >> the right-of-center world does not want this vacancy filled by this president. but we're not giving a lifetime appointment to this president on the way out the door to change the supreme court for the next 25 or 30 years. >> narrator: and, in the republican-controlled senate, he made clear there could be no wavering. >> senator moran from kansas said he thought maybe there should be a hearing. and mcconnell just said to him, "you keep talking like that, and i'm running a primary opponent against you," and moran backed off. he-- mcconnell was ruthless and brilliant. >> narrator: there would be no hearings, no votes, no confirmation of judge garland. >> democrats are outraged by senate majority leader mitch mcconnell... >> it was outrageous at the time, and it's still outrageous. they kept the seat open for nearly a year,

refusing to give merrick garland even a hearing, even the courtesy of being rejected, but he did it. he had the power to do it, and so he did. >> narrator: it wouldn't be long before mitch mcconnell faced a test of just how far he would go to get what he wanted. >> we are going to drain the swamp of corruption in washington, d.c. >> narrator: whether to support a republican presidential candidate he didn't like... >> we are led by very, very stupid people. >> he faces a horrible dilemma. to say that trump was not mcconnell's cup of tea would be an understatement of the first order. >> build a wall! >> everything that trump voiced and stood for, mcconnell, i think, had very little respect for.

>> 2016 rolls around, donald trump steamrolls the entire field with a campaign that was often outright racist. >> when mexico sends its people, they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists. total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. (crowd cheering) >> narrator: mcconnell, once an advocate of civil right made a shrewd calculation to remain silent. >> (chuckling): i'm gonna continue to avoid, uh, weighing in on the presidential contest at this point. >> mitch mcconnell understood trump's lies. and he understood the coarseness and the vulgarity and the, the general seaminess of it all. he is repulsed by the amateurism. he has the craftsman's dislike of the charlatan. >> narrator: but as he had with reagan, mcconnell sensed also where the g.o.p. was headed.

he knew he needed trump. >> if the court was that important to him, he wanted to make sure that he had someone he could influence in terms of supreme court appointments. >> and on that sad day when we lost justice scalia, i made another pledge that obama would not fill this seat. (crowd cheers and applauds) that honor will go to donald trump next year. (crowd cheering and applauding) >> he sees what is needed to hold on to power, and he made the choice. it's his choice. he's the person who has to sleep with it. mind you, in 2016, donald trump was not the figure that he is today. he was not inevitable. >> narrator: trump's election and mcconnell's support was a moment with far-reaching consequences. >> donald trump will be the 45th president of the united states.

>> there was a lot of skepticism on the right of what donald trump was, and holding that supreme court seat open, just as a political matter, reminded republican, "we can't leave to chance that hillary clinton might put on, a liberal on the court." >> if scalia had not died then, and, certainly, if mcconnell had not said what he did, trump would not have been elected. one of the interesting caroms of politics is that mitch mcconnell brought about the election of someone who, in almost every particular, he deplored. ♪ ♪ >> narrator: mcconnell had bet that trump could deliver conservative control of the supreme court, and one of the new president's first acts was naming neil gorsuch the scalia seat. >> the longest vacancy on the supreme court since the civil war has been filled.

>> mcconnell approaches trump transactionally. at the outset, mcconnell thinks, "okay, we can work together, "we can get things done that i want to get done. "this is an opportunity for me "to be able to get some wins here, "and so i'm willing to work with this guy, "'cause i think that i can actually steer him where i want to go." >> i think that's a conversation... >> narrator: even mcconnell's wife, elaine chao, was given a seat of power. >> donald trump decided to nominate her to be transportation secretary because of the link to mcconnell, feeling that, if he nominated his wife, then he'd have a better relatnship with senator mcconnell. he could get more out of the senate with her there than without her there. >> narrator: chao, born in taiwan, the daughter of a shipping magnate and a former secretary of labor. >> she's been active in republican politics for a number of years. she campaigns with mcconnell in kentucky itself.

so she's very much a, a partner and, and adviser to him. (people talking and laughing) >> mcconnell was being transactional, which is a language that trump speaks very well, uh, and, uh, mcconnell does, too. "i will get judges and you get to be president, and i get to have my wife as secretary of transportation." and it's give and take, give and take. >> narrator: but soon, the profound cost of their choice to support trump would become clear... >> (chanting): white lives matter! >> narrator: ...in charlottesville, virginia. >> mayhem in charlottesville. >> some members of alt-right groups... >> narrator: white supremacists in the streets. >> (shouting): white lives matter! >> narrator: counterprotesters. >> minutes ago saw the largest group of counterprotesters... >> narrator: culminating in horrific violence.

>> violent clashes between white supremacists and counterprotesters... >> ...the chaos, which has reached a boiling point. >> narrator: the president fanned the flames at a trump tower press conference. >> that was a horrible, horrible day. i think there's blame on both sides. and i have no doubt about it, and you don't have any doubt about it, either. but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. you had people... >> trump makes these comments with elaine chao just behind him, right? taiwanese american, who has dealt with racism growing up in, in america, and also spouse of mitch mcconnell. >> but you had many people in that group other than neo-nazis and white nationalists, okay? >> what do you do as a member of the cabinet? you're standing next to the president, and, you know, you just have to stand there with the blankest look on your face possible. and that's what she did. >> thank you all very much, thank you.

>> what about the nazis who support you? (reporters clamoring, camera shutters clicking) >> that's a difficult moment for her and for mcconnell, because it's not the brand of republicanism they believe in. it's not what they represent, it's not who they are. >> mitch mcconnell seems to sense that he can't stay silent. but he puts out just a statement. he doesn't say anything publicly. he doesn't go to the microphones. he puts out a statement that condemns hatred and bigotry in all its forms. >> we can have no tolerance for an ideology of racial hatred. there are no good neo-nazis. >> but the statement, really notably, does not include the name donald trump. >> mitch mcconnell is the classic hold-your-nose guy. yes, mitch mcconnell loves to say he's a product of the civil rights movement. but mitch mcconnell, much more so, will be remembered as someone who is a bottom-line guy. and bottom line means power,

and it means staying in office. ♪ ♪ >> narrator: mcconnell had made his choice to not confront trump over charlottesville. (car engine starts) and just a few weeks later, at the white house, he aligned himself even closer to the president. >> they decided at that point that they were gonna try to shelf everything that had happened up till then, and they were going to focus on judges. and they did-- and they did. >> narrator: in return for conservative judges, mcconnell would give trump what he wanted most: loyalty. (camera shutters clicking) they consummated the moment with a press conference. >> thank you very much. i just want to sayhat... >> they go out to the rose garden, and, you know, trump makes these remarks. >> ...with the senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, who has been a friend of mine

for a long time. >> and it is sort of the beginning of this new period of them actually sort of working together. >> despite what we read, we're probably now-- i think, at least as far as i'm concerned-- closer than ever before. and, uh, the relationship is very good, we're... >> it is a moment where the sort of oddness of this, like, marriage becomes extremely clear in three dimensis outside of the white house. >> well, thank you very much, mr. president. uh, i want to underscore what the president said. we have the same agenda. we've been friends and acquaintances for a long time. we talk... >> he was not only legitimizing what trump was doing, he was enabling it. you didn't see mcconnell break with this president of his own party. (camera shutters clicking) but in the great look back from history, uhthat may be seen as a, you know, a major lost opportunity. >> narrator: now, with the president's support,

mcconnell would forge some of the biggest accomplishments of his political career. >> he saw an opportunity to realize his dream to fill the federal courts with more conservative justices-- the lower courts, the appellate courts, straight on up to the united states supreme court. >> narrator: on the supreme court, trump had already filled scalia seat with neil gorsuch. >> neil gorsuch confirmed as justice gorsuch. >> narrator: moderate justice anthony kennedy... >> ...this centrist moderating force... >> narrator: ...was replaced by conservative brett kavanaugh. >> brett kavanaugh to replace retiring justice... >> narrator: then, the death of liberal justice ruth bader ginsburg. >> this is a fox news alert. u.s. supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg has died at the age of 87. >> narrator: it was the chance mcconnell had been waiting for since bo. the only problem, it was just six weeks until the 2020 election.

>> in the shadow of a presidential election, the battle lines over the court's future already being drawn. >> narrator: that night, mcconnell reached the president on air force one. >> mcconnell told him two things. he said, "first, "i'm going to put out a statement that says we're going to fill the vacancy." second, he said, "you've got to nominate amy coney barrett." >> mcconnell says the senate will act to fill the vacancy, even though he spent most of 2016 denying a confirmation hearing to merrick garland. >> narrator: it was starkly different from a position he took in the moments after justice scalia's death. >> now we've come full circle. he held open the scalia seat on the principle that the voters should have a say in who gets to appoint the next justice. so he held it open for eight or nine months. now it's only a matter of weeks. he says, "oh, yeah, this is different."

>> do you understand to conwhy many americansrett. view this as a double standard? >> i can only repeat that we have an obligation under the constitution, should we choose to take advantage of it, to fill the vacancy. and i assure you that's very likely to happen. >> he was able to withstand being called on the obvious hypocrisy, being slammed left and right. he was able to withstand that, and he toughed it out, and he got what he wanted. ♪ ♪ >> narrator: just days before the presidential election... >> i, amy coney barrett, do solemnly swear... >> narrator: ...the new justice was sworn in. >> so help me god. (crowd applauding and cheering) >> he has been worki towards this moment his entire professional career.

and it was all coming to fruition. all of the judicial wars that started with robert bork. now s the moment that he finally got what he came for. >> dramatically altering the ideological makeup of the court in a more consertive direction. >> he remade the federal judiciary and the united states supreme court. >> it's a court with an energized conservative majority that's already demonstrated it is ready and willing to overturn decades of precedent and settled law. >> to put three people on the supreme court, we've already seen some very fundamental changes in american life, uh, not the least of which was the overturning of "roe vs. wade." >> the conservative majority, by a six-to-three vote, overturning "roe vs. wade," the right to choose abortion. >> so, the decisions that mitch mcconnell made

ended up having profoundonsequences. >> yeah, we asked him, like, "if they were gonna build a monument to you, "what would it be? "what were you the champion for? "what are people gonna r when all of us are long gone?" and, you know, he's basically like, "judges." you know, "that's the big accomplishment of my career, is getting more conservative judges onto the federal courts." not about an issue, t about a specific issue. not, like, "we overturned 'roe v. wade.'" he wouldn't say that. 'cause i just don't think that's what it is for him. i think it's that, "look at all this winning. "we won a bunch of stuff. "we turn this country in a different direction. i dithat." ♪ ♪ >> narrator: in reshaping the supreme court, mitch mcconnell had forged his legacy

in washington and on american life. but the costs of his alliance with donald trump were accumulating. and in the aftermath of the 2020 election, mcconnell would again face a profound test of his ideals. >> ...to 270-- it's 192-114... >> right now, biden has 220, trump has 213. >> this is a fraud on the american public. this is an embarrassment to our country. >> yes. >> we were getting ready to win this election. frankly, we did win this election. we did win this election. (crowd cheers and applauds) >> the view at this point, initially, is, this looks like it's probably over. it just, it felt off. it felt like it wasn't gonna be able to get to the, you know, victorious outcome for president trump.

>> narrator: but mcconnell wouldn't say it publicly. >> he knows trump has lost, but he does not want to anger trump. >> uh, mr. leader, can you tell us, have you seen any evidence of election fraud that you think might overturn the election results? (camera shutters click) >> right, folks, let's wrap it up, thank you very much. >> all right, guys, let's go, come on. >> but mcconnell chooses silence. >> all right, guys, come on, let's go. >> he doesot acknowledge biden's victory because he's trying to keep trump happy. he's trying to placate trump. >> i heard from a specific senator, who said, "mitch has told us to stay quiet against the president in this period." and i think that led to a lot of what otherwise would be kind of influential senators at least countering the voice of donald trump being silent. and silence is complicity. (protesters shouting) >> supporters of the stop the steal movement...

>> narrator: as the election lies spread, trump's followers grew more and more violent. >> **** antifa! >> ...saying the election was being stolen from the president. >>hat period immediately after the 2020 election was the low point of, of mitch mcconnell's career. that was a moment for mcconnell to come out not once, not twice, but regularly, and say, "this is crazy-- this is ridiculous." i think he failed the country in not speaking out more forcefully, because he was in that position-- he had that power. and he didn't really do that. ♪ ♪ >> narrator: it was six weeks after the election when mitch mcconnell finally publicly conceded the reality. >> mcconnell waited until there was, there could be absolutely no doubt

about the election results to come out to congratulate joe biden. >> the electoral college has spoken. so, today, i want to congratulate president-elect joe biden. >> he knew that his relationship with president trump would forever change at that moment. he knew that trump had increasingly been trying to rein in any republicans that observed reality at this point. (people talking in background) and the significance of mcconnell saying it's over means it's over. >> (chanting): fight for trump! >> narrator: but by january 6... >> fight for trump! fight for trump! >> narrator: ...the lies had fed a rage that was about to be unleashed on mcconnell and his colleagues. (camera shutters clicking) as congress prepared to certify the election... (people shouting, gun fires)

...the capitol and mcconnell's senate chamber were breached. >> (chanting): (muted) mcconnell! >> (muted) mitch mcconnell! >> i asked if they had gotten into his office, and he said, "well, i had eight or nine of my staffers in the office and they used the furniture to barricade the door." (object pounds door) and they were pounding on the door, and they were wondering if the mob was gonna break through. (all shouting) >> how soon can you have the place cleaned out? >> you know, mcconnell was rattled by the attack on the capitol. he gets a purpose of needing to make sure that they have to get back into the capitol. he's the one that pushes that from, from their lockdown facility and forces that to happen. >> we're not gonna let these people keep us from finishing our business. so, we need you to get the building cleared, give us the okay, so we can go back in session and finish up the people's business as soon as possible. ♪ ♪ >> narrator: that night, when the trump mob was cleared,

mcconnell returned to the capitol. >> he was stunned and offended that donald trump thinks so little of our government that he would... (snorts softly) ...do what he did with that mob. >> narrator: after certifying joe biden's win, mcconnell stopped to speak to reporter jonathan martin. >> he thinks this is a moment of opportunity. he feels, he tells me, exhilarated, because mcconnell loathes trump, and he's loathed him, uh, for some time. and now, he believes, trump, for once and for all, is gonna be gone. >> the first cabinet member resignation... >> narrator: the day after the attack on the capitol, elaine chao was the first member of trump's cabinet to resign. >> elaine chao says she was deeply troubled by the president's response... >>arrator: democrats began moving towards impeaching president trump. >> he must go, he is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.

>> on january 11, the monday after the attack, mcconnell has lunch in louisville with two of his longtime advisers. he says that if donald trump's behavior on january 6 wasn't an impeachable offense, he doesn't know what is. and he predicts, in that moment, that there will be the votes in the senate to convict donald trump. ♪ ♪ >> narrator: two days later, the house impeached the president, sending it to the senate. his presidency over and the impeachment pending, donald trump left washington. if mcconnell had hoped it would finally be trump's exile from the g.o.p.... ...it wasn't to be. >> what happened after that?

well, a lot of those republicans came right back in the trump fold. (crowd cheering and applauding) they saw that republican voters around the country, a lot of them trump voters, still suppord trump after the attack on the capitol. those are their voters. those are the voters that they need. >> narrator: as he had throughout his career, mcconnell faced a stark choice about what he was willing to do to hold on to his power. >> the weeks that followed between january 6 and when the senate actually received impeachment charges that they had to, to vote on, um, you know, mcconnell was wrestling with wanting to convict the president, and yet getting swayed and kind of looking for off-ramps so that he wouldn't have to necessarily make that choice. >> narrator: mcconnell continued to hold trump responsible. >> former president trump's actions were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty.

>> this speech is a cry. as i was watching that address, i thought four years of frustration and anger has just exploded. >> that president trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. no question about it. >> senators, the question is on the article of impeachment. >> narrator: but when it mattered, mcconnell voted with his members to acquit the former president. >> the yeas are 57, the nays are 43. donald john trump is not guilty as charged in the article of impeachment. >> one of the conundrums of being a party leader is that you can't lead too strongly. sometimes you have to be a follower

if you want to remain a leader. it's certainly an exercise in cognitive dissonance. mitch mcconnell the institutionalist and mitch mcconnell the party leader. sometimes those roles are in conflict. >> narrator: mitch mcconnell had chosen his side. >> there'll be a lot of talk this weekend about 202 if the president was the party's nominee, would you support him? >> uh, the nominee of the party? absolutely. >> he is not the idealistic young man he had been back at home. being in power had changed him. he had become too in love with power, and, uh, and so, he was willing to make too many cpromises in the name of holding on to power.

>> narrator: in 2023, mitch mcconnell became the longest-serving leader in senate history. >> okay. >> senator, you're up for election in three short years-- what are your thoughts on that? >> i'm sorry, i had a hard time hearing you. >> that's okay-- what are your thoughts on running for reelection in 2026? >> what are my thoughts about what? >> running for reelection in 2026. >> (chuckling): oh. at's, uh... >> (clears throat) did you hear the question, senator? running for reelection in 2026? >> (softly): yes. >> all right, i'm sorry, you all, we're gonna need a minute. (quietly): senator. vinny. >> yep. >> he's 81 years old. he is balancing a heck of a lot.

and he's sort of a leader in a party that he doesn't really know anymore. um, and how long does he want to do that? and how long do they want him to do that? that's the other question. >> okay, thank you all. >> okay, thanks. >> thank you. >> can i jt get in a quick question? >> sorry, thank you. >> new questions about the health of the senate's top republican, mitch mcconnell. >> there are whispers in the capitol and kentucky about mcconnell's long-term viability. >> a lot of questions swirling around, a lot of speculation, but mitch mcconnell saying that he's upor the job. >> despite reassurances, some republican senators say they're concerned if mcconnell is fit to continue leading the party. >> go to pbs.org/frontline for more on mitch mcconnell's influence on the federal courts. >> he kind of makes it his mission to try to leave a

lasting legacy because judgeships they can last a lifetime, right? >> and for more of our reporting on the supreme court. >> connect with frontline on facebook, instagram and x, formerly known as twitter, and watch anytime on the pbs app, youtube or pbs.org/frontline. >> hamas unleashed a ferocious attack... >> narrator: as the conflict intensifies... >> israel continues to respond... >> narrator: a special presentation of frontline's 2002 film, “shattered dreams of peace.” how the historic peace process was undone. >> they really thought that arafat meant peace. i don't think that he meant peace. >> there are some points, which if you are in my place, you will not accept it. >> we are talking here about the toughest issues that humankind has ever dealt with. >> narrator: next time on frontline. >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you.

thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. additional support is provided by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence in journalism... park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more at macfound.org. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. and additional support from koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. support for this program was provided by the jonathan logan family foundation, empowering world-changing work. captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org. >> for more on this and other frontline programs visit our

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