Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul ignored questions about why he’s not calling for greater transparency on Mitch McConnell after spending much of the week accusing Anthony Fauci of not being upfront with the public.
Paul, 63, is the second senator from Kentucky. His seat is not up for re-election in November, and he has been laser-focused in the past few weeks on dragging the former COVID czar in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to discuss his actions during the pandemic.
The senior senator from Kentucky is Mitch McConnell, 84, who has not been seen since a medical emergency in his home on June 14.
McConnell has released two photographs and written statements since his hospitalization amid a growing push for a video statement to reassure the public he is competent and recovering.
Confronted in the halls of the Capitol about McConnell by reporter Nicholas Ballasy, Paul stayed silent, refusing to reply to questions about his senior senator.
Asked if he thought McConnell should release a video proving he is recovering, Paul muttered that he didn’t “have time” and walked hurriedly away.
McConnell’s health has been an ongoing concern since he first announced he was in the hospital in June. Since then, his aides have obfuscated and avoided questions about his health, and it took weeks for them to provide an update about his condition.
Even then, there has been no audio or video of the senator released, with just two pictures showing McConnell alongside his wife, and the statements that he is recovering made on his behalf.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday called on McConnell to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of his capability to serve, or resign.”
Beshear, a Democrat, said McConnell was trashing his own legacy by refusing to tell the public the truth about his health.
He called on Paul, as the other senator for the state, to get some answers. Paul has dismissed Beshear’s attempt to get answers, calling it a “campaign ploy by Beshear to look relevant.”
Beshear called Paul out on his podcast, pointing out the stark difference between his approach to Fauci and his approach to McConnell.
“Rand Paul is another Republican U.S. senator from Kentucky in D.C. right now,” Beshear said.
“He hauled in an 85-year-old Anthony Fauci, saying, ‘You must answer to the people of America,’ and he won’t do the same for Mitch McConnell.”
Paul did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
