Ten days before Mitch McConnell disappeared from public view, worrying signs of his declining health were captured on video.
On June 4, a frail-looking McConnell, 84, spent a sizable portion of a 20-hour vote-a-rama session on the Senate floor frozen in place.
As his fellow senators chatted animatedly around him in between voting on a $70 billion Republican reconciliation bill funding ICE and Border Patrol, C-SPAN captured the Kentucky senator remaining almost motionless, sitting beside an aide who appears to push McConnell frequently in a wheelchair.
The former Senate majority leader almost never spoke throughout the voting marathon, and no one approached him. Outside of a few feeble hand raises, it’s not clear how much of what was going on he comprehended, especially during his nearly motionless spell between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., the video shows. The video, first reported by independent journalist Desiree Townsend, sheds light on the Kentucky lawmaker’s steady decline prior to his being taken from his home in an ambulance on June 14.
McConnell’s condition remains unclear. While his Republican colleagues have claimed to be speaking to him about policy, and three statements purportedly written by him have been issued, and he has not appeared in public or been filmed speaking since before his hospitalization on June 14. Two photographs of the smiling Kentucky senator were released with his wife, Elaine Chao, in nearly identical poses, propped up in a hospital bed in jeans and a button-down shirt without an IV.
At the same time, he has ignored questions from leaders in his own state, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who said he has not spoken to McConnell and has repeatedly demanded transparency for Kentuckians.
Earlier this month, a statement attributed to the senator noted: “I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home. Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I’ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff.” Still, he has ignored mounting calls for him to release a video of himself speaking.
A spokesperson for McConnell did not respond to a request for comment.
McConnell, who has served in the Senate since 1985, is one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history. The lawmaker has suffered multiple falls in recent years, as well as several publicized instances in which he appeared to freeze while speaking.
His open-ended absence leaves Senate Republicans without one of their most reliable votes at a time when President Donald Trump is set on pushing his legislative agenda through a narrowly divided chamber.
