To recap, sitting senator Mitch McConnell has not been seen in public in weeks. It took an independent journalist to dig up the 911 call for an ambulance after McConnell had some kind of big cardiac event at his DC home in June. That same journalist said this week that she’s heard the same rumblings as MAGA world, which is that McConnell is “brain dead.” McConnell’s office played fast and loose about his current state of health, and this week, several of McConnell’s political allies have bizarrely claimed that they’ve spoken to him on the phone. McConnell’s wife also jetted off to China shortly after her husband collapsed in their home.
So, what’s new? They finally asked Donald Trump if he had heard anything about McConnell, whom he despises (and McConnell despises him right back). When asked if Trump had heard anything about McConnell’s condition, Trump said: “No, I have no—I have no idea… I have no idea how he’s doing.” Just hours earlier, Kentucky’s Democratic governor Andy Beshear issued a formal demand for a health update from McConnell:
Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky sent a letter to Senator Mitch McConnell on Wednesday demanding that he update his constituents on his health as rumors swirl about the Republican senator’s condition after his hospitalization last month.
Mr. McConnell, 84, has been in the hospital since June 14, when medics were called to his Washington address to respond to a report of an unconscious individual. A worker later informed his supervisor over emergency radio that CPR was “in progress.”
Mr. McConnell’s staff members have not disclosed what prompted his hospitalization or what treatment he is receiving. On Tuesday, several Republicans said they had spoken to Mr. McConnell for about 20 minutes each.
In the letter to Mr. McConnell — who is planning to retire at the end of his term in January — Mr. Beshear, a Democrat, wrote that Kentucky residents had “grown increasingly concerned over the state of your health and well-being, and ability to hold office.”
He continued: “As public officeholders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to represent them and to always be transparent. I believe this requires clear communication about one’s ability to serve.”
Mr. McConnell’s absence has also renewed scrutiny over a 2021 Kentucky law that changed how a U.S. Senate vacancy can be filled. Rather than allow the governor free rein to choose a successor, the law says a temporary appointee must be chosen from a list of three people selected by the state executive committee of the absent senator’s political party. A special election would be held to fill the seat only for the remainder of the term, if the vacancy happened more than three months before the next election.
I’m glad Gov. Beshear is getting in Republicans’ faces over this Weekend-at-Bernie’s political scheme. At best, McConnell is genuinely recovering and he and his staff don’t believe it’s necessary to inform the public about the situation. At worst… well, it’s bad. What can the governor’s office do here, besides publicly demand a health update? You’d think that Kentucky’s state GOP would be publicly calling for answers as well.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
