Posts claim transcript shows McConnell, Kevin McCarthy discussed ‘bringing back slavery.’ There’s no proof

• In late February 2026, Snopes readers asked us about videos in which internet users listen to an unidentified voice reading the purported transcript of a phone call between two Republican politicians, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

• During the meeting, McConnell and McCarthy allegedly Bringing back slavery, opening state-supported religious schools, banning abortion, stopping immigration, and forced impregnation of eighth graders were discussed.

• We found no credible evidence that the text was authentic or that such a conversation took place between McConnell and McCarthy. The claim is unfounded.

In February 2026, social media users wrote to Snopes on Instagram asking about videos where internet users listen to a video. sound clip (archived) Purported transcript of a phone call between Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The transcript purports to be a recording of the two men discussing banning abortion, stopping immigration, establishing state-funded religious schools, restoring slavery and impregnating eighth-graders.

One of the Instagram users posted a video of himself listening to the transcript. wrote Text added to the clip reads, “Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy talk about bringing back slavery and requiring 8th graders to get pregnant in order to graduate.”

The claim also spread on X (archived), Facebook (archived), blue sky (archived) And reddit (archived).

We found no evidence that the audio clip or text represents an actual conversation between McConnell and McCarthy.

we found NO reputable news resources reporting the “leaked” transcript (archived, archived, archived, archived), would be extremely newsworthy if true. Although McConnell and McCarthy had previously voted against federal protections for abortion, this was their party’s consensus; Neither had publicly expressed views or plans consistent with other policy points allegedly discussed on the call, such as slavery and state-sponsored religious education.

We’ve reached out to representatives for McConnell and McCarthy to ask if the text read in the videos is authentic, and we’re waiting for answers to our questions.

The full text of the phone conversation, allegedly read by an unidentified voice, is as follows:

OK, I got the transcripts.

Mitch: We should bring back slavery. These were the good old days.

Kevin: How do we do this, there’s no way we can do this.

Mitch: Blacks won’t do it, but whites will.

Kevin: How do we make white people slaves? This sounds ridiculous.

Mitch: We need to get rid of the separation of church and state. We should have state-supported religious schools.

Kevin: I don’t see where you’re getting at.

Mitch: These schools will have study programs from fourth through eighth grade.

Kevin: Oh, I think I see where you’re going. How will this work?

Mitch: We have the kids collect all the produce as part of their work schedule and teach them the values ​​of good, old-fashioned blue-collar labor and God’s grace.

Kevin: I don’t think anyone would go for it.

Mitch: It’s all about maintenance, they start in first grade and by fourth grade they’re ready to do it.

Kevin: But we already have people to choose the products.

Mitch: We need to finish the wall.

Kevin: There’s no way this could happen.

Mitch: We’re finding better ways to get immigrants out of the United States.

Kevin: Like doubling the ICE?

Mitch: Yes.

Kevin: It’s going to be very busy, it’s going to be very difficult, and we’re going to be very busy trying to sustain this over long periods of time and generations.

Mitch: No, we’re repealing abortion laws in the United States and requiring all girls in eighth grade to get pregnant in order to graduate.

Kevin: Oh, it’s like changing crops. Ha ha ha. Pun intended.

Also, Kevin: I’m going to work to ban abortion, and you’re working on publicly funded religious schools.

Mitch: We don’t have to do that either. Lindsey and I handled this with the new SCOTUS.

“Lindsey” was an apparent reference to Lindsey Graham, South Carolina’s senior senator and fellow Republican. “SCOTUS” is a common abbreviation For the United States Supreme Court.

Versions of the alleged phone call shared online were sparse with details about when the call supposedly took place. Some in question the recording was from July 2022 but did not support this claim. The online posts did not include further information about who leaked the alleged call or why.

McConnell and McCarthy on abortion, slavery and school choice

As noted above, Snopes found no evidence that the alleged call between McConnell and McCarthy was real, nor did the call appear to reflect the politicians’ publicly expressed views.

McConnell and McCarthy vote against Women’s Health Protection Act To behave“will ban” government restrictions on the provision of and access to abortion services.” The bill was signed into law. House But failed in 2021 Senate In 2022.

Since then McConnell in question that abortion should be addressed at the state level rather than the federal level. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce and ultimately end abortion in the U.S., rated both McConnell And McCarthy “A+.”

Both McConnell and McCarthy have historically opposed slavery, which was the central theme of the alleged call on their social media accounts. McCarthy spoke (archived) among the “evils” of slavery in 2019. Same year, McConnell wrote (archived) “about slavery “a stain on our history” In X. But McConnell has done this before oppose He said in 2019 that he didn’t think the idea of ​​slavery reparations was “a good idea to make reparations for something that happened 150 years ago and for which none of us living now are responsible.”

Finally, McConnell is alleged to have argued: “The text of the phone call said “state-supported religious schools”. Allegedly, these schools would form the basis of the renewed slavery project, as students would participate in study programs. In fact, McConnell historically became a strong advocate of school choice, wrote an opinion piece “Choice breeds competition – that’s the best way to improve schools,” a 2013 opinion piece argued, apparently contradicting the defense of compulsory attendance at state-funded schools.

This wasn’t the first rumor Snopes investigated about McConnell or McCarthy. For example, we have previously examined the following claims: McConnell He said he won’t participate in 2020 election debates that feature female moderators, and a photo really shows that McCarthy He watches himself lose votes for the presidency of the Parliament.

Sources:

Blade, Evie. “Senate GOP Sticks to School Choice Push on Weaken Aid Proposal.” Education Week, 8 September 2020. www.edweek.org, https://www.edweek.org/education/senate-gop-sticks-to-school-choice-push-in-slimmed-down-relief-proposal/2020/09.

Chu, Judy. “HR3755 – Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021.” Congress Government, 6 August 2021, https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3755.

Huffington Post: Commentary by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Tim Scott, and Lamar Alexander: School Choice: Part of the Solution to Our Broken Education System | U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. July 29, 2013, https://www.help.senate.gov/chair/newsroom/news/huffington-post-op-ed-by-senate-republican-leader-mitch-mcconnell-sens-rand-paul-mike-lee-tim-scott-and-lamar-alexander-school-choice-part-of-the-solution-to-our-broken-education-system.

“McConnell Equals Ancestral Slave Ownership with Obama’s.” AP News, 9 July 2019, https://apnews.com/article/a7bab51c3e324ee5bbc55a48b683d1a7.

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Yang, Maya. “Mitch McConnell Refuses to Say Whether He Supports U.S. National Abortion Ban.” The Guardian, 28 April 2024. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/28/mitch-mcconnell-national-abortion-ban.

—. “Mitch McConnell Refuses to Say Whether He Supports U.S. National Abortion Ban.” The Guardian, 28 April 2024. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/28/mitch-mcconnell-national-abortion-ban.