Topline A congressional doctor says Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is “medically clear” to continue his duties and suggested his freeze-up in front of reporters Wednesday could be attributed to “occasional lightheadedness”—but some senators are privately questioning McConnell’s future as Republican Senate leader, Politico reported, following his second public freeze-up this summer.
(L-R) Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) reaches out to help Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) … [+] after McConnell froze and stopped talking at the microphones during a news conference after a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans U.S. Capitol 26, 2023 in Washington, DC. Also pictured, L-R, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT). McConnell was escorted back to his office and later returned to the news conference and answered questions. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Getty Images Key Facts Congressional Attending Physician Brian Monahan said Thursday he spoke to McConnell’s neurology team and has informed the senator “he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned.”
McConnell, 81, appeared to freeze up and did not speak or move for nearly 30 seconds on Wednesday during a press conference in Covington, Kentucky, when a reporter asked what his thoughts were on running for re-election.
McConnell’s team attributed the episode and a similar one in July to “lightheadedness,” which Monahan said could be a result of McConnell’s concussion in March “and can also be expected as a result of dehydration.”
In July, he froze for about 19 seconds during a press conference in the Capitol before aides escorted him away briefly and he returned to take questions, telling reporters he was “fine.”
The episodes have prompted some GOP senators to consider calling for a special conference meeting to debate McConnell’s future, Politico reported Thursday, noting Senate leadership is not involved in the discussions and no decisions have been solidified, Politico noted.
There is no formal mechanism for ousting a Senate party leader, according to Politico, but five senators can join together to call a special conference meeting to debate any issue—though the news outlet notes the discussions can also be held in other forums, such as during the Senate GOP’s private weekly luncheons.
Chief Critics Two House members suggested McConnell should step down following Wednesday’s incident: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Dean Phillips (D-Minn.). Phillips tweeted “it’s time for term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court, and some basic human decency,” arguing family members of McConnell and 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)—who was absent from Congress earlier this year due to shingles—“are doing them and our country a tremendous disservice.” Some Republican political figures and pundits outside of Congress also questioned McConnell’s fitness for office. GOP pollster Frank Luntz suggested on CNN Wednesday it may be time for McConnell “to pass on the torch to another generation,” while GOP strategist strategist Craig Robinson told Bloomberg, “I don’t think that being in leadership is the right spot for him. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) urged McConnell and Feinstein to resign, and former Trump official Monica Crowley called for the resignation of McConnell, Feinstein, President Joe Biden and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.), who suffered a stroke last year and was hospitalized for depression early this year.
Contra After McConnell’s first freeze-up, he sought to dismiss the issue, telling reporters he felt “fine” and joking that he was “sandbagged,” a reference to Biden’s trip and fall over a sandbag on stage at a Navy graduation ceremony earlier this year. McConnell on Wednesday called Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), Conference Chair John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)—all seen as his potential successors—to reassure them about the state of his health, according to Politico, which reported he also spoke with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) after the incident. Publicly, senators have defended McConnell and none have called for his resignation. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who ran against McConnell for Senate Minority Leader earlier this year, told CBS on Wednesday he expects him to “continue to be the Republican leader through his term,” while Thune’s spokesperson Ryan Wrasse told Politico McConnell “sounded like his usual self and was in good spirits” when he spoke to Thune after the episode on Wednesday.
Key Background McConnell has suffered a series of health issues in recent years, including at least three falls this year—one, at a Washington hotel, that resulted in a concussion and led to a six-week absence from the Senate. He also fell at a Washington, D.C. airport in July, NBC reported, and during a trip to Finland in February, according to CNN. In 2019, he fractured his shoulder after falling outside of his home in Louisville. As a child, McConnell survived polio, and he underwent triple bypass heart surgery in 2003. The latest incident happened during Congress’s August recess and as lawmakers gear up for a battle when they return next week over the fiscal year 2024 budget, which is due at the end of September.
Tangent An overwhelming expression of lack of confidence in McConnell could push him to step aside voluntarily. Former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) resigned as majority leader in 2002 amid backlash over remarks he made weeks earlier that were widely viewed as racist. If McConnell resigns from office, the executive committee of Kentucky’s Republican party would recommend three replacements for Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear to choose from.
Further Reading Mitch McConnell Abruptly Freezes And Leaves Press Conference—Aide Says He Felt ‘Lightheaded’ (Forbes)
Age Caps For Congress? McConnell, Feinstein Health Scares Raise Concern—But Here’s Why Rule Change Is Highly Unlikely (Forbes)
McConnell Freezes–Again–At Press Conference Amid Questions Over Health (Forbes)