The Office of the Attending Physician (OAP) said Monday that Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell was discharged from the hospital and undergoing daily physical therapy.
McConnell’s office had been largely unresponsive about the senator’s condition and recovery after he missed 38 roll call votes since his June 14 hospitalization. The OAP released a statement saying McConnell is not “medically cleared” to return to the Senate while undergoing a “strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation.”
“Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June,” the OAP said in a statement obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. “OAP physicians visit with the Senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care. 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. His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.”
In a statement released by his press office, McConnell said he was working to return to his full schedule.
“I’m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders. Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday,” McConnell said in a statement. “There’s no place I’d rather be on the first Saturday in August than with the good people of western Kentucky, feasting on pork and mutton. When I first attended forty-two years ago, Fancy Farm was a pretty lonely place to be a Republican.”
“But, my, how times have changed. Today, western Kentucky is a conservative Republican sea of red. So I hate that I’ll miss the fun this year, but I’m sending my best wishes to the St. Jerome community for a successful picnic. As always, I appreciate all of your continued well wishes, and I’m looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon.”
McConnell’s office released a photograph taken Sunday of the senator and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. McConnell wore a blue button-down shirt and sat in a chair.
McConnell’s office repeatedly suggested that he was recovering well after being hospitalized on June 14. A dispatch call from that date showed paramedics appearing to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for a “cardiac arrest.”
The DCNF requested a video interview with McConnell on July 8 after his office assured the senator was recovering well. His office said they would keep the request “on hand,” though they have not confirmed a date or time for an interview as of Monday.
The former majority leader said in a July 12 statement that he suffered injuries from a fall and contracted pneumonia while in the hospital.
McConnell’s office told the DCNF that McConnell was “working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters,” though they ignored several requests for comment regarding his health. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings claimed on July 7 that they all spoke to McConnell on the phone about a variety of issues for about 20 minutes, which was later released by McConnell’s staff in an emailed press release obtained by the DCNF.
Chao traveled to China and said her husband’s hospitalization did “not warrant an immediate return.” His youngest daughter, Porter, deactivated her social media account while speculation arose about her father’s health.
The 84-year-old senator spent several days in the intensive care unit (ICU) between Feb. 2 and Feb. 10 while suffering from flu-like symptoms. Staffers were frequently seen assisting McConnell while walking around Capitol Hill.
The former majority leader suffered several falls and experienced two on-camera freezing episodes in July 2023.
(DCNF)
