McConnell, 84, has been out of the public eye since he was hospitalized following a reported fall at his Washington, D.C., home on June 14.
Later it was disclosed that he had briefly lost consciousness and developed a mild case of pneumonia during his recovery.
He did not, McConnell said in a statement released by his staff, suffer a stroke, heart attack, concussion or broken bones.
Another statement from McConnell was released Monday in which he apologized for his unavoidable absence at his state’s “Fancy Farm” picnic, a longtime gathering for high-profile political speeches.
“There’s no place I’d rather be on the first Saturday in August than with the good people of Western Kentucky, feasting on pork and mutton,” McConnell said.
The latest update is that McConnell has not been medically cleared to return to the Senate and remains in an in-patient rehabilitation facility.
Both statements have been eloquently written, but there has been no video appearance.
Matthew Williams, a Texas-based journalist, shares the same sentiment regarding McConnel as Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D).
McConnell should “either disclose more information or resign,” Williams told show host Jenna Ellis.
Save the date
But a McConnell resignation before Aug. 3 could put Republicans in an uncomfortable position.
In 2024, Kentucky changed its law for filling vacant U.S. Senate seats. The governor no longer appoints a temporary replacement. Instead, vacancies generally are filled by a special election.
If McConnell's seat becomes vacant before Aug. 3, state law appears to require a special election to fill the remaining few months of his term, likely alongside the November general election. The winner could take office soon after the election rather than waiting until January.
The law would likely face a legal challenge.
“This is something we’ve seen countless times before in the Senate, considering the Senate is just more or less an elderly home,” Williams said.
Alabama Republican Tommy Tuberville, who is not seeking Senate reelection as he runs for governor in his state, has called for more transparency from McConnell.
“Somebody needs to do something. Somebody needs to come out and put a little video out,” Tuberville told a reporter during a fast-paced walk through the Capitol on July 17.
Democrats have been mostly quiet on the topic.
Presently, 27 out of the 100 U.S. Senators are age 70 or older, making the body’s average age 64, one year before those Medicare eligibility television commercials really matter.
Fifteen in the 70-plus group are Republicans; 12 are Democrats; the other two are independents Bernie Sanders and Angus King, who caucus with Democrats.
Fifteen Senators are age 75 or above.
Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley is the oldest senator at 92. Sanders and McConnell are next at 84.
Williams compares the McConnell situation to early 2023 when the senate staff of late California Democrat Dianne Feinstein was forced to acknowledge she suffered from encephalitis (brain inflammation) and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which can affect facial expressions, hearing and balance. For weeks the staff had characterized his Senate absence as relating to shingles.
“Lest we forget that the staffers and many of the Democratic Party had tried to hide the quickly failing health of Dianne Feinstein, as well as her death. I mean, they tried to get her to vote just hours before she had passed away,” Williams said.
Photos look the same
If McConnell’s seat becomes vacant on or after Aug. 3, the law, should it be upheld, appears to leave insufficient time for such a special election. In that scenario, the seat would likely remain vacant until January 2027, when the winner of the already-scheduled regular Senate election is sworn in.
“Releasing proof of life with a photo that looks eerily suspicious to similar photos in the past, there’s a lot of speculation and discussion whether or not they're trying to hold out on proof of life until after the Aug. 3rd special election deadline,” Williams said.
Kentuckians deserve better, he said.
“I've been told my entire life that politics is about those who show up. If he's not healthy enough to show up, if he's not well enough to continue on, then he probably should step down and make sure that someone who is young, capable and ready to serve the people of Kentucky is ready and present,” Williams said.
