Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has asked Sen. Mitch McConnell to “directly and verbally address” their constituents or resign, the Democratic governor’s latest demand for transparency regarding the 84-year-old Republican lawmaker’s condition as he recovers from a fall and pneumonia.
“I am addressing this letter to Senator McConnell under the assumption that he is capable of reading and responding verbally, and not incapacitated by means of consciousness or cognition,” Beshear wrote Monday. “If the Senator is unable to respond for either of those or other conditions, consider this letter a demand for his Senate staff to be honest and transparent with the people of Kentucky.”
The governor also wrote to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., requesting he “fully investigate” McConnell’s condition if the senator is “unwilling to voluntarily show that he still has the capacity to serve.”
Beshear’s letters came on the same day that McConnell released a statement saying he was continuing “intense physical therapy” in the rehab facility where he moved after his hospitalization last month for what he described as a fall and a subsequent “mild case of pneumonia.” The Office of the Attending Physician, which provides medical care to members of Congress, also said in a statement Monday that McConnell is “not yet medically cleared” to leave his rehab facility and return to work. The statement added that the senator “has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls.”
Beshear dismissed those updates, writing in his latest letter to McConnell, “Even the attending physician’s written statement does not discuss your actual condition, including whether you can speak, reason, or carry out your duties as a senator.”
“Important events are happening in our country right now during your absence,” Beshear wrote, proceeding to reference the Iran war, rising prices, and consequential Supreme Court rulings. “All while you are absent and refuse to communicate clearly and directly to the people you serve.”
A spokesperson for McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MS NOW.
McConnell’s condition has been a source of speculation — including conspiracy theories — after he failed to update his constituents on his condition for about a month after he was hospitalized in mid-June. Earlier this month, Beshear sent McConnell a shorter letter requesting that he “fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health.”
McConnell’s first update came days later, following the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. It featured a photo of McConnell alongside his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and a statement in which he said he would focus on “regaining my strength.”
McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984. He announced last year that he would not seek re-election after his term ends in January.
McConnell has missed 38 votes on the Senate floor since he was hospitalized, NBC News reported. The Senate has about two weeks left in session before its August recess.
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