MAGA commentator Scott Jennings has refused to comment amid questions on the whereabouts of his former boss, Mitch McConnell.
McConnell, 84, has not released a video in some 60 days since he was taken from his home in an ambulance in June, leading to rampant theories that he is dead or in a vegetative state.
One of his early allies in the saga was conservative commentator Jennings, who said two weeks after he was hospitalized that he had spoken to the longtime Kentucky senator for some 20 minutes.
Jennings, 48, said the AWOL lawmaker was even readying “to go back to work.” That was 35 days ago. Days after his comment, CNN distanced itself, with a spokesperson saying that the remarks reflected “his experience and is not CNN reporting.”
Jennings has been grilled several times since on whether he’s spoken to McConnell, whose Senate campaigns he worked on in 2002, 2008, and 2014. The last time he was pressed on cable TV was on July 31 during an episode of The Source with Kaitlan Collins on CNN. He said he hadn’t spoken to McConnell personally “recently,” but said he was in touch with his office, which is run by his powerful chief-of-staff Terry Carmack, who is paid $226,000 for his efforts.
Journalist Nicholas Ballasy has been hunting down anyone involved in the McConnell saga. He was stonewalled outside the senator’s home by Carmack on Thursday and, a day later, by his operations director, Melissa Bennett, who refused to say why McConnell hadn’t released a video while also remaining quiet about the state of his health.
Jennings was less forthcoming when he was approached by Ballasy. In a video uploaded to his X account on Tuesday, Ballasy is seen confronting Jennings and asking him, “Do you think he [McConnell] needs to put out a video?”
Jennings had said “hey” to the reporter, so he was clearly listening. That is, until he heard the question. He then began to ignore Ballasy and quickly walked away.
Ballasy pursued him and repeated the question, also asking Jennings if he plans to visit McConnell at his home in Washington, D.C., where he is working while undergoing an “intensive regimen of physical therapy,” according to a statement released by his office last week.
He ignored this question, too, and three others.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Jennings should video call his old boss in the name of transparency. “To be fair, Scott Jennings works for CNN. He can go on air, dial him up, put him on speakerphone, and we can put all the speculation to rest,” he said on The Source with Kaitlan Collins, the same show where, days later, Karen Finney, a Democratic strategist, challenged him to call up McConnell.
Just hours after Jennings’ supposed call with McConnell on July 7, he joined Kasie Hunt’s panel on The Arena, where the host asked him to call the senator. Jennings laughed off the request, rambling about his history with McConnell.
“I think it’s a fair question about transparency,” he eventually admitted. Hunt pressed once more. “Well, let him know. Our phone lines are open here at The Arena should he wish to call in,” she said.
McConnell has not been seen or heard in public since he was hospitalized after a fall at his home and the subsequent contraction of pneumonia. The latest statement from McConnell or his office came last Thursday, when he said he’d do his Senate work at home while he convalesces.
“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,” he also said, referring to his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Chao featured alongside her husband in a pair of “proof-of-life” photographs that did little to quiet the critics of the saga. McConnell’s first, now-infamous photo was released by his office on July 12. A second was released at the end of July.
