As the mystery surrounding Mitch McConnell’s health drags into its fourth week, another curious subplot has emerged inside his Washington, D.C., home.
A man carrying carpet samples and flooring materials was spotted by TMZ leaving the Republican senator’s Capitol Hill residence this week, suggesting the house is undergoing some kind of refurbishment while McConnell remains hospitalized.
TMZ said their producer spoke to the man off camera, who was carrying an array of carpet samples in shades of white, blue, and grey. According to the outlet, new tiles were also being considered.
The sighting on Friday fueled a fresh round of speculation regarding the McConnell mystery, where almost every new development is now closely scrutinized in the hopes of getting some clarity on the senator’s condition.
Some pondered if the longtime senator or his family might simply be making long-planned improvements to the house, while others questioned if the new renovations were connected to the medical emergency McConnell suffered on June 14, when first responders raced to the home and found him unconscious and in need of CPR.
Or, with the 84-year-old already announcing he won’t seek re-election, could the couple be quietly preparing the property for sale?
“How bizarre,” mused right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer, who earlier claimed McConnell was “brain-dead” in hospital. “Was there blood everywhere from when he fell and was found unconscious?”
The sighting on Friday comes as McConnell, his team, and his wife, former transportation secretary Elaine Chao, refuse to answer questions about the senator’s condition.
Meanwhile, allies continue trying to tamp down increasingly feverish rumors about his health.
CNN contributor and former McConnell aide Scott Jennings insisted on Thursday that the senator was preparing to return to work, pushing back on mounting speculation that he is “dead or a vegetable.”
“I know he was actually meeting with some of his staff late this afternoon about a few issues going on over at the Senate,” Jennings told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“And truthfully, it sounded to me like somebody who was preparing at some point to go back to work. Now, whether that means go back to work soon or go back to work eventually, I don’t know. But I do know he was meeting with his staff today and getting some briefings on a few issues.”
But those assurances have done little to quiet things.
CNN’s newly released video of the June 14 ambulance response showed McConnell being wheeled from his home under a blanket after what emergency dispatch audio described as a cardiac arrest requiring CPR.
Neighbors said the scene appeared calm despite the seriousness of the emergency.
Adding another layer to the intrigue is the continued mystery surrounding McConnell’s wife.
Chao was in China when her husband was hospitalized and did not immediately return to Washington, later saying there was no urgent need to cut short the long-planned trip.
Her meetings with senior Chinese officials—and the limited explanation surrounding them—have only intensified interest in a story already short on answers.
The Daily Beast has reached out to McConnell’s team about the fresh carpet samples.
In the absence of an answer, the public now has one more puzzle piece, but still no clear picture.
