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Fall, pneumonia, hospital
Sen. Mitch McConnell said he was hospitalized after he “took a fall” last month, and he told constituents that he was “briefly unconscious” and later dealt with a “mild case of pneumonia.”
McConnell, 84, said his doctors confirmed he “didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” and he said he did not have a heart attack or a stroke, nor tumors or hemorrhages.
The Office of the Attending Physician said McConnell was admitted to a hospital on June 14 after falling at home and sustaining minor injuries, and it said early in his hospitalization he developed pneumonia that responded rapidly to antibiotic treatment.
McConnell said he moved from hospital care to a rehabilitation center and that he does not expect to return to the Senate floor to vote “quite yet,” while continuing physical therapy to reduce his risk of future falls.
Republicans react, questions
As McConnell remained absent, Senate Republicans returned to Washington with an uncertain agenda after the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, and the PBS report said the Senate convenes at 3 p.m. EDT.
PBS quoted Majority Leader John Thune saying it was “difficult to count the ways in which Lindsey's friendship made this job richer and its burdens lighter,” as Graham’s desk was draped in black cloth and held a vase of white roses.
McConnell’s statement also addressed the weeks of silence about his health, with ABC News reporting that he wrote, “You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older.”
ABC News also reported that McConnell’s office provided few details about what landed the senator in the hospital last month, despite a growing demand from many including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
What’s at stake next
McConnell said he intends to finish his term, which expires in January, and he told constituents he is not taking a break from “the Senate business that matters to you” while he continues recovering.
In his statement, McConnell said he has been working closely with his legislative staff on current issues and with his Kentucky team providing timely constituent services across the Commonwealth.
NBC News reported that with McConnell’s absence, Republicans had only a 52-47 majority in the Senate, and it described his statement as coming the day after Graham died “from a brief and sudden illness.”
NBC News also said McConnell’s attending physician stated McConnell has “experienced several falls throughout the year that have been attributed to his post-polio condition,” and it said the remainder of his hospital stay focused on physical therapy and strategies to reduce his risk of future falls.
