There’s been another update on Kentucky GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Several top Republicans revealed that they spoke with McConnell on the phone on Tuesday, but their responses were not reassuring.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso said in a statement that the two leaders spoke this week with Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has been hospitalized since June 14.
The disclosure of the calls—with Thune on Monday and Barrasso on Tuesday—comes amid widespread speculation from conservative influencers on the internet about McConnell’s health and little detail from the Kentucky Republican’s office on the reason for his hospitalization or his condition.
Thune and McConnell “had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security,” a spokesperson for the majority leader said in a statement Tuesday.
Kate Noyes, a spokesperson for Barrasso, said the No. 2 leader and McConnell “had a lengthy conversation early this afternoon.”
Noyes said that Barrasso and McConnell spoke via phone for roughly 20 minutes.
“They caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits,” Noyes said.
“Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate,” Noyes added.
In addition to Thune and Barrasso, Scott Jennings, a longtime McConnell adviser who is now a CNN commentator, posted on social media Tuesday that he had also spoken with McConnell.
McConnell staffers did email news outlets to flag the calls with Thune, Barrasso, and Jennings and pointed reporters back to a Thursday statement that said McConnell “continues to improve and is working closely with his staff.”
Along with Thune and Barrasso, Scott Jennings, a former McConnell adviser now working as a CNN commentator, said on social media Tuesday that he also talked to McConnell.
However, not everyone is buying it.
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee said on Tuesday that even members of Congress are in the dark about McConnell’s current condition.
Speculation has surrounded the health of the 84-year-old McConnell since the Kentucky senator was found unconscious and required CPR at his home in Washington, D.C., weeks ago.
McConnell’s staff has provided no significant update on his condition since he was hospitalized June 14.
On Monday night, MAGA social media user Mila Joy wondered why other senators haven’t spoken out about McConnell’s condition.
“Because they are ALL in on it together. That’s why,” Joy posted to her 571,000 X followers.
In reply, Sen. Lee posted: “Many of us aren’t speaking about Mitch McConnell’s condition because we know nothing about his condition.”
But Lee’s assessment contradicts earlier remarks from Senate Majority Leader John Thune after McConnell was first hospitalized.
Thune said he had spoken to the 84-year-old and that he “sounded good.”
“He wants to be back, but I’ll defer to his staff on when,” Thune said on June 15.
Popular conservative activist Laura Loomer claimed recently that sources told her that McConnell is in a “vegetative state,” dismissing Thune’s version of events.
“I was in South Dakota all week, and a Thune staffer told a source close to me and the White House that Mitch McConnell is in extreme organ failure,” Loomer posted.
Things with McConnell have gotten worse by the day.
Emergency dispatch audio indicating that an individual at McConnell’s Washington, D.C., residence suffered a reported “cardiac arrest” earlier this month has renewed questions about the former Senate Republican leader’s health and whether he will return to the Senate.
Since the reported incident, McConnell’s office has provided scant details on his health.
The limited information released about what led to McConnell’s hospitalization on June 14, coupled with emergency dispatch audio referencing a reported cardiac arrest, has prompted renewed speculation about the severity of the senator’s condition.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
