Latest congressional Wiki edit: McConnell thinks he’s a turtle

Someone in a congressional office building on Monday edited Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) Wikipedia page to state that the senator believed he was a turtle.

The editor operating from an Internet Protocol (IP) address linked to the House updated the user-generated encyclopedia to say that McConnell “is the first openly Otherkin member of Congress,” using a description of people who believe that they are at least partly nonhuman.

{mosads}“His species identity is turtle,” the person added.

McConnell has been repeatedly mocked by “The Daily Show”’s Jon Stewart and other comedians who find his physical appearance chelonian.

The change was deleted almost immediately, but was picked up by a Twitter account that automatically updates whenever people with a congressional IP address anonymously update Wikipedia. 

Though the change seems like an innocent prank, it is just the latest in a series of controversial and juvenile edits that Capitol Hill has made to Wikipedia, the world’s sixth most popular website. 

Transparency advocates say that’s a shame, and is partly due to a persistent skepticism of the website from congressional offices. Instead of mud slinging, advocates say that Wikipedia can be an invaluable tool for congressional staffers to explain the mechanics of legislating, detail the intricacies of new bills and summarize recent activity in a transparent and helpful manner. 

The IP address that edited the page is the same one that has been repeatedly blocked by Wikipedia administrators this summer.

The most recent disciplinary action came in August, when a string of edits about people who are transgender led to a monthlong ban. However, because the IP address appears to be used by multiple congressional offices, it is unclear whether the same person is behind the latest update.