Sen. Mitch McConnell Remains in Rehab, Governor Requests More Health Details

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader from Kentucky, remains in a rehabilitation center and has not been cleared to leave, according to a statement from his office released more than six weeks after his hospitalization for a fall and pneumonia. The senator’s spokesperson, David Popp, said McConnell continues to meet with staff about Senate and Kentucky matters.

Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, sent a letter to McConnell on Monday asking the senator to provide more details about his health or consider resignation. The letter assumes McConnell is capable of reading and responding verbally and requests clarification on his ability to speak, reason, and perform his senatorial duties.

McConnell, who is 84 and plans to retire at the end of the year after 42 years in the Senate, said he did not suffer broken bones, a heart attack, stroke, hemorrhage or concussion in the recent fall, though he was briefly unconscious. His office has previously linked similar incidents to lightheadedness, while some neurologists noted possible seizure activity in video footage. The senator has a history of health issues, including prior falls, episodes of freezing while speaking, and a February hospitalization for flu-like symptoms.