Bobby Rankin, the man caught on camera snubbing Mitch McConnell at Elijah Cummings memorial last Thursday explained his reasons for doing so.
Many thought Rankin casted ‘shade’ on Turtle out of loyalty to Cummings but he did so because of his deceased brother, Jerry.
“When I saw Mitch McConnell, all I saw was my brother’s face,” said Rankin, one of Cummings’s pallbearers.
Rankin’s brother, Jerry, died last October from cancer after being exposed to contaminated water while serving in the Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Jerry did not receive the veterans’ benefits he was owed before he died, Rankin said — and he blamed McConnell in part for that family tragedy.
“Elijah Cummings reached across party lines trying to help my brother get his military benefits, and Mitch McConnell was one of the persons he reached out to,” Rankin said.
The Washington Post:
Various illnesses, including multiple myeloma, the form of cancer Jerry had, can be linked to Camp Lejeune’s tainted drinking water. Veterans who have suffered from any of the conditions caused by the Marine base qualify for disability benefits and free healthcare. It’s unclear exactly why Jerry did not receive his VA benefits nor the role Turtle played in the matter.
Rankin did not even know the video existed until The Post contacted him.
