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(The Hill) – After being hospitalized with flu-like symptoms last week, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been released and will be absent from the Capitol for the rest of the week.
The veteran Republican leader, who missed votes last week, will continue to be absent this week as he recuperates. McConnell plans to “work from home” while the Senate is in session.
“Senator McConnell was discharged from the hospital yesterday and is thankful for the exceptional care he received,” said a spokesperson for McConnell. “He is on the mend and will be working remotely at the recommendation of his doctors.”
His team revealed that McConnell was admitted to a hospital on February 2 after falling ill.
“As a precautionary measure, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation,” the spokesperson explained last Tuesday. “His outlook is positive, and he appreciates the excellent care he is receiving. He is in regular communication with his staff and looks forward to resuming his duties in the Senate.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters on Monday that he spoke with McConnell a day earlier, adding that he has been “engaged” in Senate business.
The illness marks the latest health incident for the longest-serving Senate party leader in history. McConnell fell in October after being heckled by left-wing activists in the Capitol complex. He survived polio as a child and has pointed to “lingering effects” in his left leg after previous incidents.
The Kentucky Republican also had a pair of freezing episodes and other incidents. A 2023 fall left him with a concussion and a fractured rib and required him to be hospitalized.
McConnell announced last year that he will not seek reelection in November, bringing a close to a career spanning more than four decades in the upper chamber.