Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made a firm declaration regarding his political future, dismissing suggestions that he might resign from his position as a result of ongoing health complications, which have seen him freeze up spontaneously in recent weeks.
“I have no announcements to make on that subject,” McConnell said with a chuckle. “I’m going to finish my term as leader. And I’m going to finish my Senate term.”
This announcement came after the 81-year-old faced his second freeze-up incident last week.
Standing confidently among his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill, McConnell addressed a reporter’s inquiry about calls for his resignation and potential retirement plans. McConnell’s current term is set to conclude in January 2027. Earlier this year, he suffered a concussion due to a fall at a Washington, D.C., hotel. Recent weeks saw him momentarily freeze and grapple with answering questions, both on Capitol Hill and during a Kentucky event.
Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the U.S. Congress, has issued two notes concerning McConnell’s health.
“I evaluated McConnell’s most recent incident and informed the leader that he was medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned,” Monahan stated. He further mentioned that occasional lightheadedness can be a side effect of concussion recovery or dehydration.
A subsequent memo from Monahan, released as the Senate reconvened post-summer recess, provided a more in-depth analysis.
“My examination of you following your August 30, 2023 brief episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment,” Monahan said. The physician confirmed that McConnell did not have a seizure disorder, stroke, TIA, or movement disorder like Parkinson’s disease. Monahan emphasized that no changes in treatment were necessary as McConnell continues his recovery from the March 2023 fall.
Despite these medical clarifications, speculation about McConnell’s health and his future in Congress remains rampant. Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy shared insights after a private lunch meeting. McConnell had informed his Republican peers that medical experts had given him a “clean bill of health,” Kennedy revealed. He further asserted that the “only person in the Milky Way who can make Mitch McConnell step down is Mitch McConnell.”
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