Sen. Mitch McConnell’s team has refused to answer basic questions about his condition after he was found unconscious at his home and administered CPR.
An EMS call made public this week revealed that the 84-year-old Republican lawmaker may have suffered a heart attack on June 14. His staff acknowledged that day that he was in hospital.
It took until June 22 for his staff to give any update, saying only that McConnell would not be voting that week, offering no details about his medical situation.
“Senator McConnell is still working closely with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters as he continues his recovery. However, he will not be voting this week,” McConnell spokesperson David Popp said on June 22, according to Politico.
Now, after the Kentucky senator’s near-fatal medical emergency made headlines, his team is still declining to provide any additional details about McConnell’s condition.
The Daily Beast asked a series of questions about McConnell’s health.
We asked:
- Is Sen. McConnell in a hospital or other medical facility as of today?
- If not, when did he leave?
- Have members of Sen. McConnell’s staff spoken to him since he was found unconscious?
- What diagnosis or diagnoses has Sen. McConnell received?
But his spokesperson Robert Steurer did not answer any of the questions. When asked for additional information, he merely pointed to the same statement released more than a week ago.
Steurer reports to McConnell’s chief of staff, Terry Carmack, whose salary rose from $224,749 in fiscal year 2025 to $226,849.94 in fiscal year 2026.
Carmack, 63, landed his first job on Capitol Hill working for the newly elected McConnell in 1985. He has been at McConnell’s side for decades, but is extremely camera shy.
Coincidentally, McConnell—who is the Senate’s third-oldest member and is set to retire at the end of the year—fell gravely ill just two years after a controversial Kentucky law revised the protocol for filling a Senate vacancy before the end of a term.
Previously, state law required Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear to appoint a replacement to serve until the next election. But in April 2024, Kentucky Republicans pushed through legislation that scrapped the 1942 precedent. Instead, a special election would be held immediately.
“In House Bill 622, the General Assembly changes its mind for the second time in three years on how vacancies in the United States Senate are filled,” Beshear, 48, said at the time. “Prior to these maneuvers, the same system has been in place since 1942. This administration deserves the same authority as previous administrations.”
A spokesperson for Beshear did not respond to a request for an interview.
Kentucky Republicans moved to alter the system amid several health scares McConnell has experienced during his tenure in the Senate.
In February, the former GOP leader checked himself into a hospital “in an abundance of caution” after experiencing “flu-like symptoms,” according to his office. McConnell spent about eight days hospitalized and missed several key Senate votes.
In October, the Kentucky senator fell at the Capitol after he was confronted over immigration enforcement. He had previously fallen and injured his wrist in December 2024 and suffered a concussion in 2023 after tripping and falling at a hotel.
McConnell was the only Republican to oppose Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation as national intelligence director, as well as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appointment as health secretary. He also joined GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins in voting against Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as defense secretary.
The current Congress is the third-oldest in U.S. history.
