Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asked Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office Wednesday for an update on the health of the 84-year-old lawmaker who was admitted to a hospital more than three weeks ago.
Read more Trump opts to take a separate plane home after talking openly about possibly being killed by Iran
In a letter, Mr. Beshear, a Democrat, said public officeholders commit to being transparent with their constituents, which he said “requires clear communication about one’s ability to serve.”
“Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate,” the Democratic governor wrote. “As Governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health.
“We wish you a safe and speedy recovery,” he wrote.
The written request comes one day after congressional Republicans said they had spoken with their Kentucky colleague.
The former Senate majority leader’s staff has provided limited details publicly on what prompted the hospital visit that has kept Mr. McConnell away from Capitol Hill and out of the public view.
Mr. McConnell’s office has withheld details of what exactly led to his hospitalization last month, but emergency dispatch audio released last week indicated that someone in his home in Washington suffered cardiac arrest and was unconscious.
In a Tuesday statement, his staff said that he “continues to improve and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” the statement said.
Read more AI ‘actress’ Tilly Norwood set to make first appearance in a feature film
Senate GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the upper chamber’s second-ranking Republican, said they spoke with Mr. McConnell on Tuesday, vouching for his continued work while away from Capitol Hill.
Although Sen. Mike Lee pushed back on cover-up claims on Mr. McConnell’s health, the Utah Republican also said Tuesday, “Many of us aren’t speaking about Mitch McConnell’s condition because we know nothing about his condition.”
Kentucky Democrat Charles Booker, who is running to replace Mr. McConnell in November, said last week that “while this is certainly a personal time for the Senator, our entire commonwealth and country is vested in Senator McConnell’s ability to serve.
“This is about representation and accountability,” he said in a statement. “Senator McConnell holds a Senate seat representing millions of Kentuckians and he has a responsibility to represent all of us. It’s time we know what’s happening. When we don’t know if our senator is alert, conscious, or capable of serving, that’s not a partisan question. It’s a Kentucky one.”
He said Mr. McConnell has “lacked the capacity to represent us in the Senate.”
“That fact, along with the developing news now, is deeply concerning. Continuing to ignore this is not leadership. It’s elder abuse,” Mr. Booker said. “And it’s time for him to relinquish the business of Kentucky back to the people.”
It is unclear when, or whether, Mr. McConnell will return to the Senate.
Mr. McConnell’s last vote was June 11, and the Senate is due back from its recess on July 13. The Senate’s next major extended recess will be the annual summer state work period, scheduled from Aug. 8 to Sept. 13.
Kentucky changed its succession law in 2024, stripping Mr. Beshear’s power to appoint a replacement and requiring any vacancy be filled by special election instead.
Read more Appeals Court rejects Trump’s last-ditch bid to keep his name on the Kennedy Center
About the Author
