Despite swirling conjecture that Mitch McConnell is ‘brain dead’ after a recent hospital admission, reports indicate that the Senate Minority Leader is alert and engaging in discussions on various pressing matters, ranging from Iran to a political controversy involving a Senate hopeful from Maine.
GOP political strategist Scott Jennings took to X on Tuesday, sharing, ‘I connected with my longtime friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky. He remains hospitalized but is on the mend.’
‘Our conversation, which lasted nearly 20 minutes, spanned topics such as Iran, Ukraine, the brewing trouble in Maine, my recent visit to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, and a touch of Senate history. I expressed our eagerness to have him back in action soon.’
Senate Majority Leader John Thune also had a ‘lengthy and substantive’ phone call with McConnell on topics including national security on Monday, NOTUS reported.
The 84-year-old was admitted to the hospital on June 14 after an urgent medical situation at his Washington, DC, residence. Emergency responders arrived in response to a report of an unconscious individual suspected of suffering cardiac arrest, with CPR being administered at the scene.
While McConnell’s name wasn’t disclosed in the emergency call, his staff has not specified the cause of his hospitalization, stating only that he is receiving ‘excellent care.’
The speculation surrounding McConnell has intensified in recent days because his aides have refused to release new information regarding his condition or whether he will return to work as the GOP fights to maintain its razor-thin majority.
Trump conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer claimed that an unnamed White House source told her that McConnell is in a ‘vegetative state’ or ‘brain dead’ and is ‘not coming back’ to work.
Senator Mitch McConnell is said to be alert after being admitted to hospital three weeks ago
The 84-year-old, who has had several health issues, was hospitalized following a medical emergency at his Washington, DC, home last month
DC outlet The Hill even accidentally published an obituary-style look back at the senator’s political career, which was swiftly deleted.
Independent journalist Desiréee Townsend claimed that she had confirmed Loomer’s allegations.
‘I have heard the same thing from my sources for days,’ she wrote. ‘At this point, I am at the hospital for when they eventually decide to cut him off of life support and move his body.’
As online chatter continued to grow about the Senator’s health condition, MAGA activists like Breitbart editor Matthew Boyle wrote on X, ‘McConnell’s staff should produce proof of the senator’s condition one way or another right now.’
The popular right-wing influencer, Catturd, demanded his aides post a video of the Kentucky senator from his hospital bed to prove he’s alive: ‘Why won’t they do it?’
‘Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,’ McConnell’s spokesman told the Daily Mail.
‘The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.’
McConnell’s eldest daughter, Porter, 48, has deleted her X account amid the swirling speculation over her father’s health.
She is an outspoken critic of her father’s conservative politics and a longtime progressive advocate.
It remains unclear exactly when or why she deactivated the account, and there’s no confirmation the move is connected to McConnell’s hospitalization.
If he were to leave office, or prove unable to resume his duties by August 3, Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear would be required to call a special election to fill the seat.
McConnell has already stated that he does not plan to run for reelection in the upcoming midterm elections.
His absence amid these health struggles places the GOP’s narrow Senate majority in a delicate balance.
Last month, Democrats were briefly able to pass a resolution limiting Trump’s war powers in Iran while McConnell was unable to attend the vote.
Other Republican senators have mostly refused to comment on McConnell’s health condition and have directed concerns to his office.
Utah Senator Mike Lee said on Tuesday that lawmakers are being kept in the dark: ‘Many of us aren’t speaking about Mitch McConnell’s condition because we know nothing about his condition.’