Mitch McConnell

Republican

Senator
State: KY

Kentucky

via: timesnownews.com

Mitch McConnell Health Update: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Says He Got Calls Claiming Senator Had Died

Mitch McConnell

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has said he received two calls from different agencies incorrectly suggesting that Republican Senator Mitch McConnell had died while he was in hospital. Speaking in an interview with journalist Katie Couric, published on YouTube on Thursday, the Democratic governor said he had been contacted by two agencies, although he did not identify them or say when the calls were made. "In fact, I'd gotten two calls from different agencies, not state agencies, suggesting he'd passed," Beshear said.

The comments come after weeks of speculation surrounding McConnell's health following his prolonged hospitalisation.

The senator's office released a detailed statement on 12 July saying he had been receiving treatment after a fall in June. It also published a photograph of the 84-year-old senator in a hospital bed alongside his wife, former US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Before that update, McConnell's office had not disclosed why he had remained in hospital for several weeks, prompting widespread speculation.

Emergency dispatch audio from 14 June, the day he was admitted to hospital, indicated that he had been found unconscious and may have suffered a heart attack.

However, McConnell later said doctors had ruled out several serious conditions. "My doctors have confirmed that I didn't break any bones or suffer a concussion," he said. "I didn't have a heart attack or a stroke. I don't have any tumors or hemorrhages."

His doctor also said the senator developed pneumonia early during his hospital stay but "responded rapidly to antibiotic treatment."

Days before McConnell's office released details of his condition, Beshear publicly called on the senator to provide more information about his health. "I publicly and privately urged the last administration to address the public's concerns with the former president's health," Beshear wrote in a social media post, in an apparent reference to former President Joe Biden. "I'm calling on Sen. McConnell to do the same and provide voters an update on his own health."

He urged the senator to "end the crazy speculation" and "just tell us what's going on."

On July 8, Beshear also sent a letter asking McConnell to "fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health."

McConnell has said he intends to return to the Senate, although his office has not provided a timeline for his return.

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Mitch McConnell Health Update: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Says He Got Calls Claiming Senator Had Died