Mitch McConnell breaks weeks of silence with health statement
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
US Senator Mitch McConnell has broken his silence after weeks of speculation surrounding his health, claiming that doctors are doing 'every test they can think of'.
Speculation surrounding McConnell's health has mounted so much in recent weeks, after being hospitalized on June 14, that Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, requested that the senator update the public about his health in a 'transparent manner'.
The 84-year-old released a candid statement on Sunday (July 12), explaining why it took so long for him to speak out.
"Folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older," he wrote.
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The republican added: "Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct - I can’t help it."
He confirmed that a fall had led to his hospitalization, and noted that he is now in a rehabilitation center and will not return to the senate 'quite yet'.
McConnell said: "I’ve submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident.
"My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.
"I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia."
His wife, Elaine Chao, faced backlash for not returning to the US after flying to China on June 12.
A statement released on her behalf read: "The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family’s philanthropic endeavors.
"During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the US ambassador. The Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the US."
McConnell's statement came just hours after it was announced that senator Lindsey Graham had died 'suddenly', in a statement released by his family.
Earlier today, preliminary findings by the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia found that the senator likely died due to aortic dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease - a life-threatening condition characterized by the tearing of the aortic wall.
President Trump described him as 'one of the greatest' people he'd ever known, as he added speaking with NBC: "If I had a problem, a real problem, I wouldn’t often ask. But if I had a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out."