Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) largely sidestepped a medical episode he suffered in front of reporters in Kentucky last week, only giving passing mention to "one particular moment of my time back home" as he delivered his first floor speech following the August recess.
All eyes were on the minority leader as he journeyed from his leadership office to the Senate floor on Tuesday afternoon to deliver public remarks. McConnell last Wednesday had frozen in front of the cameras after appearing to lose concentration, the second such public incident this summer.
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McConnell, 81, didn't take questions from reporters during the brief walk, as is routine for the minority leader.
He briefly acknowledged the episode at the top of his speech, acknowledging it had “received its fair share of attention in the press over the past week," but then pivoted away from the topic.
“I assure you, August was a busy and productive month for me and my staff back in the commonwealth,” McConnell said, focusing the remainder of his remarks on his travel across Kentucky and the impending bicameral fight over a supplemental defense spending package and a potential government shutdown.
The top Senate Republican had frozen up while speaking to a reporter about his 2026 election plans, staring off into the distance and unable to speak for about 30 seconds.
That incident came one month after a similar episode in which McConnell suddenly froze midsentence while speaking to reporters and looked ahead with an apparent blank stare for 18 seconds.
The GOP leader later told his colleagues that his doctors had warned him he could experience lightheadedness as a result of injuries sustained during a March fall that took place at a Washington hotel. The incident left the minority leader with a serious concussion as well as a broken rib.
McConnell returned to the Senate six weeks later, maintaining a full schedule though he appeared frail. It wasn't until the two summer episodes that he faced questions about his ability to fulfill his demanding leadership duties.
The Kentucky senator and his staff have tried to quash discussion about his health and political future by saying that he is “fine."
Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Capitol's attending physician, said in a letter released by McConnell's office on Tuesday that there was "no evidence" that the octogenarian leader had "experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease."
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“My examination of you following your August 30, 2023 brief episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment,” the letter read.
The lack of candor is not entirely surprising as McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, is reserved in his interactions with the press.