Inside the McConnell health rumor mill
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Then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Whip John Thune during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 19, 2024. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Senate GOP leaders say they have spoken with Sen. Mitch McConnell in recent days, as speculation swirls online among MAGA influencers about the Kentucky Republican's health.
Why it matters: McConnell has been hospitalized for roughly three weeks, with very little information about his condition.
Driving the news: Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and former McConnell aide Scott Jennings went public within hours of each other Tuesday, describing substantive, detailed conversations with McConnell in starkly similar terms.
- "They had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security," a Thune spokesperson said.
- Barrasso and McConnell "caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits," spokesperson Kate Noyes said.
- "He's still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history," Jennings posted on X.
Catch up quick: Influential MAGA voices on X have fueled speculation about McConnell's health status.
- Laura Loomer has claimed, without evidence, the senator is "brain dead" and "hooked up to machines." She is now alleging a "cover up."
- "We need the truth about Mitch McConnell NOW. It is unacceptable that the party who spent four years criticizing Joe Biden's health is now silent on McConnell's," conservative commentator Glenn Beck posted.
Zoom in: Under Kentucky law, if a Senate vacancy were to occur before Aug. 3, a special election would be held quickly to fill the seat. If a vacancy were to occur on or after Aug. 3, the new senator would be elected in November as planned.
What we know: In a reported recording of an EMS call from the day of the senator's hospitalization, roughly three weeks ago, a dispatcher mentions cardiac arrest and a person being unconscious at McConnell's address.
- There has been no official confirmation of the cause for McConnell's hospitalization.
What they're saying: "Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital," a McConnell spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday.
- "The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session."
- McConnell's team issued an identical statement July 2.
