Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he is willing to launch a legal challenge to allow him to choose Mitch McConnell’s replacement if the senator cannot return to office.
Beshear, a Democrat, told MS NOW’s Politics Nation host Rev. Al Sharpton on Sunday that he “might make some news right here” while revealing the potential options he has as governor to replace the 84-year-old, whose health has been the subject of intense speculation for weeks.
“Our Republican supermajority has been so worried about me being able to potentially support someone before a special election that they passed not one but two laws,” Beshear said. “They tried at first to say they could submit a list of three people to me from the Republican Party, and I’d have to pick. Now they say I can’t fill a vacancy, but I have to call a special election.”
“But here’s the thing: there is a Kentucky constitutional provision that says that I appoint all state officers when there’s a vacancy,” he added. “The question is, does that apply to federal offices? Well, before there was ever a law in Kentucky on how this would work, multiple appointments were made by governors, assumably under that provision.”
Beshear made the remarks just before McConnell released a so-called “proof of life” photo on Sunday, almost exactly a month since he was hospitalized after being found unconscious and requiring CPR at his Washington, D.C., home.
McConnell’s team released a photo of him alongside his wife, Elaine Chao, sitting up beside a hospital bed and holding what appeared to be Sunday’s edition of The Washington Post sports section.
In a lengthy statement, McConnell said he was hospitalized because of a fall but that he 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,” he added, while also confirming that he has been suffering from a “mild case of pneumonia.”
There had been rumors about just how serious McConnell’s condition was after it was originally reported that he had suffered a cardiac arrest last month.
The speculation became even more rife as McConnell’s team spent weeks refusing to provide any meaningful update on his condition, his treatment, or whether the 84-year-old would be able to return to office.
McConnell’s team, led by his longtime, camera-shy aide Terry Carmack, who is on track to earn more than $226,000 this year, also repeatedly issued the same statement whenever asked for an update, merely saying the senator “appreciates the outpouring of support” while he continues treatment.
After the “proof of life” photo was released, Beshear said McConnell still needs to provide further reassurance about his condition, including a video of the 84-year-old actually speaking.
“Moving forward, the Senator should show he can meaningfully engage in his elected position through interviews, videos or other means that can provide additional reassurance to our constituents,” Beshear told Spectrum News.
During his Politics Nation appearance, Beshear reiterated that he is willing to explore all options to replace McConnell if he is found to be too incapacitated to serve.
“I will look at my authority as governor to make sure that we are represented as Kentuckians, and certainly I’ll take a strong look at that section of our Kentucky Constitution,” he said.
The Daily Beast has contacted Mitch McConnell’s office for comment.
