How is Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health?
The 84-year-old senator remains hospitalized nearly three weeks later, according to his staff. Officials have not yet said the reason for his hospitalization.
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao returned to the United States from China this week after her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell, was hospitalized on June 14.
Chao’s trip during McConnell’s hospitalization fueled baseless conspiracy theories online.
“The secretary was on a long-planned trip to China to support her family’s philanthropic efforts,” a spokesperson for Chao said in a statement to the Courier-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. “During her trip, she met with many people, including the U.S. Ambassador. Due to the senator’s health condition, there was no immediate need to return to the United States.”
Ms. Chao, who served as Secretary of Transportation during President Donald Trump’s first term and as Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, has been married to Mr. McConnell for decades. On June 17, a few days after his hospitalization, the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., released a photo of Mr. Chao sitting next to Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in front of a magnificent painting of the Great Wall of China in Beijing.
According to Louisville CBS affiliate WLKY, Ms. Chao’s staff would not say whether she had been in contact with Mr. McConnell since her return. According to the newspaper, she left for a trip to China on June 12, just two days before McConnell was hospitalized.
Amidst the news, the Kentucky senator’s youngest daughter Porter McConnell also deleted X’s social media accounts, according to The Independent.
