Andy Beshear Demands Mitch McConnell Health Update After June 14 Hospital Admission

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear formally requested an update on Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health in a letter sent Wednesday after McConnell was admitted to the hospital on June 14 for an undisclosed condition.

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Beshear wrote that “Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the health and well-being of Sen. McConnell,” and asked McConnell’s office to “fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health.”

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CBS News reported that emergency medical personnel responded to an unconscious person at McConnell’s home on June 14, and that McConnell’s office has not provided more information about why he was admitted or confirmed whether the dispatch call was about the senator.

NBC News said Beshear urged McConnell to be “transparent” about “the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate.”

As McConnell remained hospitalized, Senate Republicans said they had spoken with him, including a spokesperson for Majority Whip John Barrasso saying McConnell was “fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.”

Time Magazine reported that a July 2 statement from a McConnell spokesperson said “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

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Time also described official audio posted on X by journalist Desirée Townsend, in which an Emergency Medical Services dispatcher can be heard saying there was a call for a “cardiac arrest,” and a paramedic can later be heard saying “CPR in progress.”

NBC News reported that a McConnell spokesman referred NBC News to allies who said they held separate 20-minute phone calls with McConnell, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso.

The dispute over disclosure is tied to Kentucky’s vacancy rules, with Newser reporting that if McConnell resigns or dies before his term is up, Kentucky’s new, never-used Senate vacancy law could face court challenges.

CNBC said the 2024 law bars Kentucky governors from appointing a temporary senator and instead requires a special election, after Republicans overrode Beshear’s veto.

CNBC also reported that the Senate is due to consider a boost in defense spending that President Donald Trump has requested, and that McConnell is the chair of the subcommittee on defense appropriations.

People reported that Beshear wrote on Wednesday, July 8, that Kentuckians are growing “increasingly concerned” about McConnell’s health and “ability to hold office in the United States Senate,” while McConnell’s office did not immediately respond to People’s request for comment on the letter.