Reporters were told they could not record Mitch McConnell speaking during the 84-year-old senator’s first public appearance in 92 days.
The Kentucky senator returned to the Senate on Monday for the first time since he was hospitalized in mid-June, with rumors about the full extent of the Republican’s condition swirling for months.
After being wheeled into the Capitol from his D.C. home, McConnell appeared before reporters to deliver a brief statement before going to vote on the Senate floor.
However, McConnell’s team told the press they could not film him delivering his remarks, although they could photograph the 84-year-old and report what he said.
“I must admit, after two years, two decades after dodging your questions, I wasn’t sure how many of you would be here today,” McConnell joked to reporters. “So I’m glad to see you. Time to get back to work to finish the job for this Congress. I’m here to work on the farm bill.”
Punchbowl’s senior congressional reporter Andrew Desiderio revealed on X that reporters were “barred from recording video” of McConnell during his brief statement.
Manu Raju, CNN’s chief congressional correspondent, also noted that McConnell appeared “frailer and his voice slower” when he reappeared on Monday.
“He didn’t answer any questions,” Raju added.
McConnell’s team seemingly took advantage of strict congressional rules that limit where filming can take place in and around the Capitol building.
The rules prohibit video recording outside the House and Senate chambers—where McConnell appeared before reporters—unless it is for the weekly leadership press conferences. Multiple designated locations in and out of the building allow the press to film lawmakers for interviews.
McConnell was rolled onto the Senate floor to cast his vote, where several lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, went to greet him.
The Daily Beast’s political reporter Sarah Ewall-Wice noted that McConnell could be heard “softly responding in a raspy Kentucky drawl” while on the Senate floor, but his exact words were impossible to make out from the gallery above.
Throughout his return to the Senate, McConnell’s team, including Terry Carmack, the senator’s longtime camera-shy aide, who is on track to earn more than $226,000 this year, was by his side.
McConnell’s staff was heavily criticized for refusing to provide any meaningful updates about his condition for weeks after he was hospitalized on June 14.
In an effort to quell rumors surrounding his condition, McConnell’s team released “proof of life” photos in July alongside his wife, Elaine Chao.
There is still no audio of McConnell speaking since he was found unconscious at his home on June 14.
In a statement released on his behalf, McConnell said his recovery had been a “long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier.”
“I’m still not quite back to 100 percent, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me,” McConnell added.
The Daily Beast has contacted Mitch McConnell’s office for comment.
