Governor cites senator’s six-week hospitalization without direct address to constituents
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday called on U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell to directly address the people of Kentucky about his health or resign, escalating pressure on the Republican senator who has been hospitalized for more than six weeks.
“As governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign,” Beshear wrote in a letter shared with the media.
McConnell, 84, has been hospitalized since June 14 after a fall at home. His office has released photographs of the senator with his wife, former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, but McConnell has not appeared in video or spoken publicly by phone during his absence. Images released have been met with public skepticism.
The governor said he previously requested details of McConnell’s condition on July 8. McConnell’s office has stated that he is recovering and working closely with doctors. In the latest response, McConnell’s office released a statement from the hospital’s Office of the Attending Physician.
“Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June,” the statement said. “OAP physicians visit with the Senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care. Since his discharge from hospital care, he 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.”
The statement added that McConnell’s bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility and that he is “not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.”
In the letter, which was also sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Beshear said a Senate vacancy occurs only when a senator dies, resigns, or is expelled. He wrote that if McConnell is unwilling to voluntarily show he still has the capacity to serve, “I will insist Leader Thune fully investigate your condition, report to the American people, and begin the process if warranted.”
The Democratic governor, who is considering a run for president, cited national issues unfolding during McConnell’s absence, including “a war of his own making,” rising prices, and voting rights actions by the Supreme Court and Congress.
“All while you are absent and refuse to communicate clearly and directly to the people you serve,” Beshear wrote.
In the health update, McConnell said he is sad to miss the annual Fancy Farm picnic in western Kentucky scheduled for Aug. 1, an event that draws thousands to hear political speeches from candidates across the state.
Beshear acknowledged the update but said it fell short of what constituents deserve.
“I understand anyone’s desire for privacy, but when you run for office and serve as one of a state’s two U.S. senators, you willingly abdicate much of your personal privacy,” he wrote. “That’s the deal, and we all know it when we run.”
McConnell has said he will retire at the end of his term in January. He was hospitalized in February for flu-like symptoms and has fallen in the U.S. Capitol several times.