McConnell completes physical therapy, will work from home
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Saturday he completed inpatient physical therapy after a fall at a fundraising dinner earlier this month and will work from his D.C. home for "the next few days."
The big picture: It's not clear when McConnell will resume in-person work at the Capitol, with an aide telling Axios he won't be back before the Senate breaks for a two-week recess on Friday.
- The aide said the Republican leader will consult his physical therapists on a return date and declined to speculate when that might be.
What they're saying: “I want to sincerely thank everyone for all the kind wishes. I’m happy to say I finished inpatient physical therapy earlier today and I’m glad to be home," McConnell said in a statement Saturday.
- “I’m going to follow the advice of my physical therapists and spend the next few days working for Kentuckians and the Republican Conference from home," he said. "I’m in frequent touch with my Senate colleagues and my staff. I look forward to returning in person to the Senate soon.”
The backdrop: McConnell fell during a Senate Leadership Fund dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., on March 8.
- He was later treated for a concussion and a minor rib fracture, according to his staff.
- Following his release from the hospital last Monday, he was sent to a separate inpatient facility for physical therapy.
Of note: It's the first direct statement put out by McConnell himself — rather than his staff — since his fall.
What they're saying: GOP senators told Axios this week that a handful of them have had phone calls or texted with the Republican leader.
- They said he was keeping close tabs on his colleagues and expressing a strong desire to return to the Senate as soon as possible.
- Some also said they had concerns about the ripple effects of a prolonged absence from the Senate.
