USA13 July, 20263 min read
Mitch McConnell Says Fall Led to Hospitalization, Citing Pneumonia and Post-Polio Falls
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Hospitalized after a June fall at home, briefly lost consciousness. Has been away from the Senate for about a month.
McConnell and Graham deaths
Sen. Mitch McConnell, 84, said he was hospitalized after a fall at home left him briefly unconscious and that he also had to deal with a "mild case of pneumonia," while the Office of the Attending Physician said he had experienced several falls this year related to his post-polio condition.
“McConnell said he also had to deal with a ‘mild case of pneumonia.’”
McConnell said, "You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older," as he addressed questions about why his office provided few details about what landed him in the hospital.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Darline Graham was sworn in by the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, filling the seat three days after Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death, and that Graham died at 71 after suffering a tear in his aorta, according to a preliminary report from the medical examiner.
The Los Angeles Times also said emergency personnel were dispatched to the home of a U.S. senator a second time in less than a month, after McConnell’s hospitalization for undisclosed reasons in early June.
In the same period, the Courier-Journal reported that McConnell was admitted to a hospital in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, June 14, and that his current Senate term runs through the end of 2026.
Calls for transparency
The Los Angeles Times quoted Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) saying, "I think we need some transparency," adding that he wished Sen. McConnell and his team "would have done that earlier."
The Courier-Journal said McConnell addressed his health in a letter to his constituents on Sunday, July 12, confirming he was briefly unconscious and that an evaluation determined he had "no fractures, cardiac abnormalities, stroke, tumor or hemorrhage."
The Los Angeles Times described how the lack of information fueled speculation, including Laura Loomer claiming on social media that a "high level source close to the White House" had told her McConnell was "officially brain dead."
In contrast, ABC News reported that McConnell’s statement included a note from the Office of the Attending Physician saying he had been medically cleared to continue fully participating in his intensive physical therapy program.
The Courier-Journal further said McConnell remains in a rehabilitation center as he recovers and will not be able to return to the Senate floor "quite yet."
What happens next
The Los Angeles Times said McConnell will retire from Congress at the end of January after serving as the longest-ever Senate leader, while ABC News reported McConnell said he intends to finish his term, which expires in January.
“McConnell said he intends to finish his term, which expires in January.”
Time Magazine said Graham’s death left his congressional seat vacant and could complicate the Republican legislative agenda, with Republicans needing to choose a new Senate nominee as Mitch McConnell remained absent from the chamber due to hospitalization.
Time Magazine reported that under South Carolina law, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster can appoint a temporary replacement to serve the remainder of Graham’s term, which ends Jan. 3, and that a special election will take place on Aug. 11.
Time Magazine also said Republicans held a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but after Graham’s death and amid McConnell’s hospitalization, Republicans have just 51 voting senators, narrowing their margin.
In the same coverage, the Los Angeles Times said Graham’s sister Darline Graham was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday and would fill the remaining months of Graham’s current term.