WASHINGTON, D.C. (LOOTPRESS) — After weeks of speculation and questions surrounding his health and prolonged absence from the U.S. Senate, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has broken his silence, releasing a new photograph and a detailed statement explaining that a fall left him briefly unconscious and hospitalized for several weeks.
McConnell said he has since been moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation center, where he is continuing to regain his strength. He also revealed that he developed a mild case of pneumonia while receiving medical care.
The statement comes after roughly a month of uncertainty surrounding the 84-year-old senator’s condition and absence from Capitol Hill.
“To my fellow Kentuckians,” McConnell began, acknowledging both the well wishes and questions he and his wife, Elaine Chao, have received in recent weeks.
“When you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth’s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I’d keep showing up to fight for you every day,” McConnell said. “And over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.”
McConnell acknowledged that he had been reluctant to publicly discuss the details of his health, saying people of his generation often hesitate to share the vulnerabilities that can come with aging.
“You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older,” McConnell said. “Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct — I can’t help it.”
The senator then revealed that he suffered a fall last month that resulted in him being taken to the hospital after briefly losing consciousness.
McConnell, who survived polio as a child and has dealt with lifelong mobility challenges, said those difficulties have become harder to manage as he has grown older.
“Surviving childhood polio meant spending my entire life with mobility challenges,” he said. “They haven’t exactly gotten easier to manage with age. And last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital.”
McConnell said doctors have ruled out several potentially serious causes and injuries.
According to the senator, he did not break any bones or suffer a concussion. He also said he did not have a heart attack or stroke and that doctors found no tumors or hemorrhages.
“But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital,” McConnell said.
While hospitalized, McConnell said he also dealt with a mild case of pneumonia.
The senator said he has undergone extensive medical testing as doctors work to determine what caused the incident.
“I can assure you that I’ve been a good patient,” McConnell said. “At my age, I tend to do what my doctors tell me to do. I’ve submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident.”
McConnell said his condition has improved enough for him to leave hospital care and enter a rehabilitation facility, where he will continue working to rebuild his strength.
However, he acknowledged that his recovery is taking time and said doctors have not yet cleared him to return to the Senate floor for votes.
“As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time,” McConnell said. “And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet.”
Despite his physical absence from the Capitol, McConnell said he has continued working with his legislative staff and Kentucky team. He said he has also remained in contact with Senate colleagues regarding the appropriations process, midterm politics and other issues.
McConnell, who is set to retire at the end of his term in January, made clear that he intends to return to the Senate before leaving office.
“You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you,” McConnell said. “And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work.”
“But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do,” he continued.
McConnell concluded by saying he plans to keep the public updated as his recovery continues.
“I’ll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible,” he said. “And I’ll keep you posted on the progress of my recovery. Until then, I’m so grateful for your prayers and well wishes.”
The statement provides the most detailed public explanation yet of the health issues that have kept McConnell away from the Senate for several weeks, following growing speculation and questions about his condition and when — or whether — he would return to Capitol Hill.
