NewsMacroMcConnell Health Questions Persist as Republicans Express Frustration Over Limited Updates

McConnell Health Questions Persist as Republicans Express Frustration Over Limited Updates

Author: Alternet·

Key Takeaways

  • McConnell has been hospitalized since mid-June after reportedly being found unconscious at his home.
  • His office said he is meeting with staff on Senate and Kentucky matters, including appropriations, foreign policy, the farm bill and constituent services.
  • The Daily Beast reported that some Senate Republicans are frustrated by the limited public information about his condition.
  • Sen. Josh Hawley said he knows nothing about McConnell’s health and believes constituents deserve information at some point.
  • President Donald Trump said he has heard little about McConnell’s condition but hopes he will be fine.
McConnell Health Questions Persist as Republicans Express Frustration Over Limited Updates

Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health status remains unclear despite new statements from his office, with The Daily Beast reporting that Republicans are expressing “frustration” over the uncertainty and the disruptions it has caused.

McConnell, the Kentucky Republican widely known for his years as Senate majority leader, has been hospitalized since mid-June after reportedly being found unconscious at his home. Since then, his office has released few details about his condition, saying only that he is recovering while providing no public evidence of the extent of his recovery.

Earlier this month, an effort to counter conspiracy theories with a “proof of life” photo did little to end speculation, particularly among those calling for video evidence that McConnell is alive and in stable condition.

On Saturday, The Washington Post reported a new statement from McConnell’s office saying that he was continuing to handle Senate business during his recovery, though the statement did not provide evidence of those activities.

“The Senator continues to meet with staff regarding Senate and Kentucky business, including discussions on defense appropriations, foreign policy, the farm bill, constituent services and constituent federal grant requests,” spokesman David Popp said in the statement. “As the Senator continues to improve in rehab, we will be sure to keep you updated.”

Those areas are not ceremonial for a sitting senator: appropriations, farm policy, constituent services and federal grant requests are routine parts of Senate office work, and prolonged uncertainty over a senator’s ability to participate can complicate both Capitol Hill planning and home-state representation.

In its own report on the statement, The Daily Beast said the update “is keeping with a trend from McConnell’s office, which remained silent about his health for several weeks after he was hospitalized,” and added that “It remains unclear when McConnell will return to work on Capitol Hill.”

The outlet also reported that some Senate Republicans are becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of transparency surrounding McConnell’s condition, especially given the party’s “razor-thin majority” in the chamber. The abrupt recent passing of GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham further threatened that margin as well.

“Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, as well as CNN’s in-house MAGA host Scott Jennings, each claim to have spoken on the phone with McConnell while he has been in the hospital,” The Daily Beast reported. “However, some Senate Republicans are expressing frustration that they do not know more about his condition, especially given the party’s razor-thin majority in the upper chamber.”

“I don’t know anything about McConnell’s health. I know zero. I’m totally in the dark, and I certainly wish him well and his family,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said last week, according to The Daily Beast. “I do think that at a certain point you have an obligation to your constituents and country to tell them what’s going on.”

President Donald Trump also addressed the issue, saying he had heard little about McConnell’s condition.

“Well, I don’t hear much. I was, uh, never a huge fan,” Trump said. “I hope he’s going to be fine. I—I don’t know if he’s fine, but I certainly hope he’s going to be fine.”