Mitch McConnell reveals fall led to hospitalization after weeks of silence
US Senator Mitch McConnell has disclosed that a fall caused his hospitalization, ending weeks of speculation about his health.
US Senator Mitch McConnell on Sunday revealed for the first time that a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking weeks of silence about the Kentucky Republican's condition. The 84-year-old lawmaker said in a statement that he has undergone a battery of tests as doctors try to determine what caused the fall.
McConnell explained his long silence by noting that "folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older." He added, "Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct – I can't help it." McConnell stated he is now in a rehabilitation center and will not return to the Senate "quite yet," but continues working with his staff on Senate business.
The statement included a smiling photo of McConnell with his wife, Elaine Chao, holding a copy of Sunday's Washington Post sports section – a tacit response to online speculation that he had died or was incapacitated.
McConnell was hospitalized on June 14. His office for weeks provided little information, insisting only that he was "receiving excellent care" and recovering. As his hospital stay lengthened, speculation grew so intense that Kentucky's Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, asked McConnell to update the public in a "transparent manner."
In his statement, McConnell said doctors have ruled out broken bones, concussion, heart attack, stroke, tumors, and hemorrhages. However, he was briefly unconscious and taken to the hospital. He also revealed he dealt with a mild case of pneumonia while hospitalized.
McConnell's statement came after the unexpected death of fellow Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Saturday evening. Graham's office said the 71-year-old South Carolina senator died of an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Before McConnell's statement, Democratic Senator Cory Booker offered "thoughts and prayers" to the former Republican majority leader but added: "This is just unfortunately an issue of politics in general: people don't know when to gracefully step aside."
