LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB/WKYT) — Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell's office said Monday the 84-year-old would not be attending Fancy Farm this weekend as he continues physical therapy in his recovery from a fall at his home in June.
The senator said he's "still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctor's orders."
"As always, I appreciate all of your continued well wishes, and I'm looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon."
His attending physician said in a statement the senator "has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls."
"His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility," the statement continued. "He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office."
McConnell was hospitalized June 14, according to a statement from his office that only said he was "receiving excellent care." A statement a week later said that he would not be voting that week. Then on Thursday, July 2, a new statement said that he "continues to improve" and "appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital."
On July 7, 23 days after McConnell's mysterious hospitalization, a spokesperson offered no update to the senator's health but shared three statements from others on social media who said they'd spoken to him.
McConnell was reportedly found "unconscious" at his home in Washington the day of his hospitalization, according reporting from FOX News. The outlet reported audio from the 911 call on June 14 indicated the senator was "unconscious" when emergency crews were dispatched. The dispatcher also requested an Advanced Life Support (ALS) response.
Video that surfaced last week appeared to show the senator being loaded into an ambulance on the day of his hospitalization. The video, shared with CNN by a neighbor of McConnell's Washington, D.C., home shows a person being loaded into an ambulance the morning of June 14.
The neighbor who recorded the video said Capitol police blocked the street, with two ambulances and a firetruck on scene. A person was then taken from a home on a stretcher wrapped in a blanket, not wearing an oxygen mask. Other neighbors said they saw McConnell's face.
The next day, a spokesperson for the senator said he was continuing his recovery in the hospital.
"As you can imagine, we have been receiving lots of messages from folks, and as the senator continues to recover, we will be sure to keep you updated," a spokesperson said July 11.
"In the meantime, Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. The senator continues to improve and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session. Thanks for continuing to check in."
On July 12, a photo of the senator was released, as well as a new statement that said a fall led to McConnell's hospitalization and he was undergoing physical therapy.
McConnell said his doctors confirmed he did not break any bones, suffer a concussion, or have a heart attack or stroke. He was briefly unconscious and hospitalized. He also had a mild case of pneumonia while in the hospital.
He was moved from a hospital to a rehabilitation center, where he said he is regaining his strength.
'Be honest and transparent'
Following Monday's health update, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to both McConnell's office and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, once again asking the senator to "be honest and transparent" about his recovery.
"I am writing this letter to Senator McConnell under the assumption that he is capable of reading and responding verbally, and not incapacitated by means of consciousness," Beshear wrote.
Beshear wrote that more than six weeks had passed since news of McConnell's hospitalization and said the senator had "cast zero votes, engaged in no official activities" and made "no effort to communicate with your Kentucky constituents or the nation."
"I understand anyone's desire for privacy, but when you run for office and serve as one of the state's two U.S. senators, you willingly abdicate much of your personal privacy," Beshear wrote.
The governor also said that if McConnell does not "voluntarily show" he still has the capacity to serve, he will ask Senate Majority Leader John Thune to "fully investigate" his condition and begin the process of determining if a Senate vacancy is warranted.
"All of this speculation and even this letter could have been avoided with a minimal amount of transparency," Beshear wrote.
Both letters can be found below:
This comes more than a week after Beshear said he'd gotten calls suggesting McConnell had died before the senator's office released a statement on his condition July 12.
In an interview with Katie Couric on her YouTube channel, Beshear talked about McConnell's absence and maintained his public call for an update from the senator on his health.
"It had been a month before anything had been put out, not even an official statement from Senator McConnell. In fact, I'd gotten two calls from different agencies, not state agencies, suggesting he'd passed. So, this rampant speculation that was out there, it needed to end," the governor said. "People deserve to know what was going on. Now, we've gotten a little bit, we've gotten one official statement and one picture, and hopefully what that means is he's still with us, which is what we all want. But then there's this question of when can he get back to doing his job."
The governor did not say what agencies he'd received the calls from.
Beshear also sent a letter to McConnell's office July 8 asking him to provide Kentuckians with an update on his health, saying growing public concern and continued speculation warrant more transparency.
This story may be updated.
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