Andy Beshear said that he has “heard absolutely nothing back from” Sen. Mitch McConnell, more than a month after he issued a public letter calling on the Republican lawmaker to update his constituents on the status of his health amid a lengthy hospitalization. They feel like they’re not accountable to anyone.” “All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox News for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he’s supposed to serve, but you know what?
He absolutely refuses to do it,” Beshear continued. In addition to criticizing McConnell for not sharing additional details about the state of his health, Beshear went on to call out Senate Majority Leader John Thune. None of them will do their job right now and stand up to a president … that is running over the constitution at every turn.” Concerns and questions about McConnell’s heath have swirled since the 84-year-old Senator was hospitalized in June, following what his office later revealed was a fall.
The Kentucky Senator shared earlier this month that he had been released from a rehabilitation center, but he has yet to return to the Senate or otherwise make a public appearance. In July, after McConnell had been absent from the Senate for several weeks without giving significant details about his condition, Beshear publicly shared a letter he had sent to the Senator, in which he requested that McConnell “fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of [his] health.” “Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate,” Beshear wrote in the letter. I believe this requires clear communication about one’s ability to serve.” McConnell was hospitalized on June 14, beginning a protracted—and ongoing—absence from the Senate and the public eye.
For weeks, his office released little to no details about his condition, which sparked widespread uncertainty over his health. Four days after Beshear’s letter, McConnell offered his first public statement since his hospitalization began, saying that he went to the hospital after a fall. He said that his doctors confirmed that he didn’t sustain major injuries, such as broken bones, a concussion, or a stroke, but he was “briefly unconscious” after his fall.
He also said he grappled with “a mild case of pneumonia” while he was hospitalized. He revealed that he had since “been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center.” On July 27, McConnell shared another update on his health, saying that he was still working toward returning to the Senate and was “keeping up with intense physical therapy.” His statement was accompanied by a message from Congress’ Office of the Attending Physician, which said that McConnell was “not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.” “Since his discharge from hospital care, he 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,” the office said. His office has not shared an update on his health since then, and did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment.
McConnell, who previously announced that he would retire in January when his term is set to end, has had health issues in the past, including several falls in recent years.
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