Weeks after former GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was hospitalized for a reportedly serious heart condition, there has been much speculation about his current condition. Rumors are also swirling about whether he can complete his term, which ends in January. Initially, reports said that McConnell suffered a “cardiac arrest” and was administered CPR – a health condition that is normally fatal, even for victims much younger than McConnell, who is 84 and has an extensive history of health problems. But later, in one of the few public updates on the Kentucky Republican’s condition, his staff only said that he was receiving “excellent care.” However, others who should know more about McConnell’s condition don’t. That includes the president of the United States. Libby Dean, the White House correspondent for NewsNation, tweeted on Wednesday: “President Trump says he has ‘no idea’ how Sen. Mitch McConnell is doing and says he hasn’t spoken with the Kentucky Republican since McConnell’s hospitalization.”
In reply, Sen. Lee posted: “Many of us aren’t speaking about Mitch McConnell’s condition because we know nothing about his condition.” But Lee’s assessment contradicts earlier comments from Senate Majority Leader John Thune after McConnell was first hospitalized. Thune said he had spoken to the 84-year-old and that he “sounded good.” “He wants to be back, but I’ll defer to his staff on when,” Thune said on June 15. Popular conservative activist Laura Loomer claimed recently that sources told her that McConnell is in a “vegetative state,” dismissing Thune’s version of events.
McConnell’s Office Provides Limited Updates
Things with McConnell have gotten worse by the day. Since the reported incident, McConnell’s office has provided scant details on the former Senate GOP leader’s health condition, except to say that he allegedly “appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.” His office last week also said the 84-year-old senator “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
