By admin 
A fellow U.S. senator says one reason why few are commenting on Sen. Mitch McConnell’s condition is because they have very little information about his status.
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Democrats have pushed for more transparency about McConnell’s health in the weeks since he was hospitalized for unknown reasons, though some GOP politicians and backers say they’ve spoken with the 84-year-old lawmaker. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, said details aren’t being shared with fellow lawmakers.
“Many of us aren’t speaking about Mitch McConnell’s condition because we know nothing about his condition,” Lee said in a post to X on July 7.
Lee’s post was in response to concerns about why other politicians have not shared more information about McConnell’s health.
The longtime senator was hospitalized June 14, and his office confirmed late last week that the 84-year-old lawmaker was still there continuing his recovery. In a July 2 statement, a McConnell spokesperson said “he continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
When McConnell was first hospitalized, his office did not give details about his condition at the time, other than to say he was receiving “excellent care.”
Almost no other information has been provided. When asked Monday about growing speculation regarding McConnell’s status, a spokesperson for McConnell said they’d keep media updated. Asked again about his health Tuesday, his office said they’d provide updates as he continues to recover.
Last week, EMS radio traffic reported by Punchbowl News and other media outlets revealed McConnell was “unconscious” at his Washington, D.C., home before being taken to the hospital. According to the call, a dispatcher directed an Advanced Life Support ambulance to his address at 8:36 a.m. June 14.
First responders performed CPR on someone experiencing “cardiac arrest” at that address, according to NBC news.
A handful of people say they’ve spoken with McConnell directly. But none have commented on his condition.
Scott Jennings, a former McConnell adviser and conservative political commentator on CNN, said on X that he spoke with McConnell for 20 minutes.
“I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” Jennings said in the July 7 post. “He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible.”
McConnell’s office also sent a July 7 email pointing out that he spoke with Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Whip John Barrasso, both Republicans.
A spokesperson for Thune said he and McConnell “had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security” on Monday, according to reporting from Politico.
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“Leader Thune spoke with Sen. McConnell yesterday by phone,” the spokesperson said. “They had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.”
Politico also reported a spokesperson for Barrasso said he and McConnell “had a lengthy conversation early this afternoon,” speaking by phone for roughly 20 minutes Tuesday.
Some Democrats have expressed concerns on transparency surrounding McConnell’s health condition.
Charles Booker, the Democratic candidate in the race to replace McConnell, called for transparency and said last week that Kentuckians deserve to know “if our senator is alert, conscious, or capable of serving.”
Rep. Andy Barr, the Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate race, said in a July 2 statement that he’s looking “forward to continuing to work alongside Sen. McConnell and President Trump to deliver for Kentucky.”
Previously, Barr told reporters at the Republican Party of Kentucky’s Lincoln Dinner June 20 that he’d exchanged text messages with McConnell and said he was released from the hospital. McConnell’s office at the time did not confirm whether he was still hospitalized, then later said he was still recovering at the hospital.
Barr did not say prior to publication whether he has spoken with McConnell since then.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear also said July 2 he’s received no information or updates on McConnell’s health, and added McConnell’s team “needs to communicate more directly.”
Zach Dembo, Kentucky 6th Congressional District Democratic candidate, told reporters Tuesday that he shared those concerns brought up by Booker and Beshear after a Commerce Lexington forum July 7.
“I’m hoping the best for Sen. McConnell’s health and would never wish ill,” Dembo said. “But for folks who are counting on him as his constituents, … there needs to be some level of transparency, so that we know that’s what’s going on. Obviously, we should not be invading someone’s medical privacy. But everyone’s counting on someone to serve us, and we need to know some sense of what’s going on when there’s not been a statement whatsoever put out from his office.
“We’re owed that.“
Ralph Alvarado, the GOP candidate for the 6th District, told reporters at the same forum he has not spoken with McConnell.
“I think it’s very important to have privacy when it comes to medical issues,” said Alvarado, who is also a doctor. “I know that’s something that’s very big for me when I’m taking care of people that are well-known. I don’t like to go out and comment about their health issues or anything along those lines. So, hopefully he’s doing well. Hopefully he’s recovering, but I don’t have any other details or information.”
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