South Dakota
Latest Coverage
See all articles
Kentucky Gov. challenges Thune to end McConnell mystery: ‘Put all this speculation to rest’
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is continuing to call out Sen. Mitch McConnell.
After challenging McConnell’s office to make more of an effort to prove he’s capable of finishing his term in office via letter written on state government letterhead, Beshear appeared on CNN to double down.
“It’s not like we are asking a lot. We’re asking the bare minimum. And if he won’t do it, it is up to John Thune and the majority in the Senate to make him do it,” Beshear said in a clip shared on X.
Beshear argued that the Senate majority leader, John Thune, who previously said he spoke with McConnell, has a responsibility to ensure all members of the senate have the capacity to serve.
He also responded to critics challenging him to “storm the hospital” to provide proof of life of McConnell.
“I’m in Kentucky. John Thune’s in Washington, D.C. This is somebody he talks to on a regular basis, in the very least, he can give us a report on what he’s heard,” Beshear said. “Or Kaitlan, to be fair, Scott Jennings works for CNN. He can, on air, dial him up, put him on speakerphone, and we can put all this speculation to rest.”
Beshear is referring to CNN pundit Scott Jennings, who also previously claimed he talked with his “old friend” as well.
On Monday, McConnell’s office released a statement along with a new photo of the senator and his wife. According to the statement, McConnell is rehabbing from the fall he suffered more than a month ago and is “not yet medically cleared to leave the facility.”
McConnell, 84, was admitted to the hospital on June 14 and revealed weeks later that it was due to a fall. He had polio in his early childhood and has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in walking and climbing stairs, the Associated Press reported.
Soon after, CNN published a letter it had obtained, written by Beshear to McConnell, containing an ultimatum.
“As Governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign,” Beshear wrote, via CNN.