Mitch McConnell is set to make his first appearance outside the Senate chambers in nearly a hundred days.
In his second week back at work after months away, the 84-year-old senator is scheduled to be a featured guest at a D.C. event for the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce, one of Kentucky’s largest business advocacy groups.
The chamber of commerce’s annual fly-in to Washington, D.C., closes out with a 4:30 p.m. reception at the Russell Senate Office Building on Wednesday featuring “special guest” McConnell, according to a schedule of events obtained by the Daily Beast.
The Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, a Kentucky-based contractor for the Department of Energy, is sponsoring the reception.
The chamber’s fly-in is set to be its largest delegation in two decades, according to local news reports. Roughly 90 business leaders and officials are scheduled to attend.
Junior Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, 63, was scheduled to meet with the group on Wednesday morning. Unlike McConnell, he was not listed as a “special guest.”
A spokesperson for McConnell did not respond to questions regarding his scheduled appearance on Wednesday.
After McConnell was hospitalized on June 14, the Kentucky Republican spent months absent from public view, while his communications team dodged any and all questions regarding his health. All told, the senator missed 60 Senate votes.
When the Senate reconvened last week after a five-week recess, the wheelchair-bound senator reappeared without warning. His staff rolled him out of his Washington, D.C., home and into a waiting vehicle ahead of a roll call vote, ignoring reporters’ questions.
The mystery surrounding his health, however, has only deepened. Concerning footage captured during the Senate Agriculture Committee meeting last week showed McConnell needing coaching on how to vote on the Farm Bill, which ultimately passed by a single vote.
When McConnell’s name was called twice, it went unanswered. Only when his chief of staff, Terry Carmack, instructed him to vote “aye” did he finally oblige, albeit hoarsely.
On Tuesday, the senator again appeared lethargic as he was transported to Capitol Hill.
Carmack, who is set to make $226,000 this year, was seen holding an umbrella over his boss as he was wheeled into a vehicle.
McConnell slowly turned his head and raised his right hand in a “peace” sign. He made the same gesture several times last week in response to questions. His grin also matched the expression he had last Monday while sitting in the vehicle before heading to the Capitol.
