Kentucky Governor Wants McConnell Health Update
As the mystery over GOP Senator Mitch McConnell’s medical condition continues, Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear asked the ailing senator to update Kentuckians and the rest of America about it.
Beshear wrote a short note today to express “growing concerns around the Senator’s ability to serve.”
Two journalists reported on Monday that McConnell is “brain dead,” after which McConnell spear-carrier Scott Jennings, a CNN talker, claimed to have spoken with the octogenarian.
Meanwhile, X users are noting how similar the reports are from those who claimed to have spoken with McConnell on the phone.
Dead or Alive?
McConnell was rushed to the hospital on June 14 after he suffered “cardiac arrest” and hasn’t been seen since.
GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota claimed that he spoke with a “dialed in” McConnell, and his office reported that he was working from his hospital bed.
On Monday, independent journalists Laura Loomer and Desirée Townsend reported that McConnell was brain dead. Townsend disclosed the audio recording of the 911 traffic the day McConnell collapsed.
After reporting that a “high-level source close to the White House” told her McConnell was “brain dead” and “not coming back,” Loomer explained that he “is being kept ‘alive’ by life support machines” and is “in organ failure.”
Loomer’s source said that doctors declared the 84-year-old a “vegetable.”
“I heard the same thing from my sources,” Townsend wrote.
At 12:52 yesterday, Jennings wrote about his conversation with McConnell as if nothing much was amiss.
“I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” Jennings claimed:
He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible.
Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming also reported a call of “roughly 20 minutes.” GOP Representative Jack Kimble of California claimed he spoke with McConnell “just shy of 45 minutes.”
“He’s so sharp,” Kimble continued:
Just like always he let me do all of the talking. He’s a great listener. After that we prayed silently for awhile and had a staring contest. Just like always, he beat me. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible.
X accounts noted the similarity in the claims.
Beshear: What’s Going on, Mitch?
Beshear wrote to McConnell today “requesting an update on his health and well-being amid growing concerns around the Senator’s ability to serve,” as the Democratic governor wrote on X.
“Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate,” Beshear wrote:
As Governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health.
As public officeholders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and to always be transparent. I believe this requires clear communication about one’s ability to serve.
A news release from Beshear’s office explained that McConnell’s office had released only “limited information” about the senator’s health.
“The Governor’s administration has seen a rise in inquiries about the health status of the Senator,” the release said:
Rather than contribute to the increased speculation unfolding in the media and public space, Gov. Beshear is reaching out directly to Sen. McConnell to make the request.
Special Election
McConnell will not run for re-election in November, and if he resigns or dies in office, Beshear would call a special election.
“Kentucky statutes do not lay out a timeline on when exactly the special election must be held, but there are several time requirements to give voters, candidates and political parties a chance to organize prior to an election, the Courier Journal in Louisville explained:
Once the governor issues a proclamation, a copy must be sent to the sheriffs of each county at least 63 days before the election. Then, political parties or organizations can file petitions and certificates of nomination, with a deadline of 56 days before the election.
Citing a Republican legislator, the newspaper reported that a vacancy’s occurring near a general election would likely mean the special election would be held the same day.
The Occupy Democrats X feed speculated that McConnell’s people are withholding information to avoid setting a date for that election. “In Kentucky, a special election to replace a Senator will NOT be called if it’s closer than 3 months till the next election, and that date is August 3rd,” the feed noted:
If a special election was called, Trump’s vocal critic Thomas Massie would certainly run and likely win — which would be a HUGE headache for Trump and his agenda. If he didn’t win, he would split the vote, allowing a Democrat like Charles Booker to fill the seat.
That’s why they’re trying to conceal his condition as long as possible.
