John Oliver wasted no time in questioning whether Sen. Mitch McConnell is actually still alive.
The HBO anchor returned after a weeks-long break to recount the headlines of the summer, which included Lindsey Graham’s unexpected death and McConnell’s long-running health mystery.
“We are back, and we missed a lot over the last few weeks. A parasitic infection has caused explosive diarrhea across the country. Lindsey Graham died, and Mitch McConnell maybe didn’t,” quipped the Last Week Tonight host, displaying an image of McConnell and his wife from the hospital.
The image has raised more questions than answers as McConnell’s health status continues to be shrouded in secrecy.
The 84-year-old Kentucky senator was hospitalized on June 14. A released EMS dispatch call revealed that emergency medical personnel went to McConnell’s D.C. home to respond to “cardiac arrest” and administered CPR at the scene.
McConnell’s team, led by longtime staffer Terry Carmack, who makes over $226,000 a year, faced growing pressure to reveal the senator’s health status.
On July 12, his staff released an image of McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, from the hospital. The photograph was accompanied by a statement announcing that McConnell suffered from a fall that left him “briefly unconscious.”
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” wrote the senator. “I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.”
“I’ll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible,” McConnell assured.
McConnell remains absent from the Senate, as GOP leaders have demanded further proof of life.
A McConnell spokesperson told the Washington Post that he “continues to improve in rehab.”
