Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health: Here’s what you need to know
Sen. Mitch McConnell remains hospitalized three weeks later. USA TODAY’s Melina Khan reports on what we know and what we don’t know.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told reporters that Sen. Mitch McConnell must provide an update on his health or resign.
In a video originally posted by Meidas Touch on July 23, Ocasio-Cortez told reporters that the Republican senator’s latest update lacked clarity.
“If he can’t keep us updated, he should absolutely resign,” she said. “I think it was very clear to people all over Kentucky that he wasn’t up to date.”
McConnell, 84, has been absent from Congress since being hospitalized in June. Since then, the senator’s team has shared minimal updates, with McConnell releasing a letter to voters on July 12 stating that he was recovering in a rehabilitation facility and working toward returning to the Senate floor.
The letter comes days after Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote to McConnell, a seven-term state representative and first elected to the Senate in 1984, asking for an update on Kentuckians.
“As public servants, we have promised to do our best to represent our constituents and to always be transparent. I believe this requires clear communication about our ability to serve,” Beshear wrote on July 8.
“Why is everyone pretending this is normal?”
Earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez, commonly known as AOC, expressed shock at McConnell’s continued absence from Congress, calling it “unusual.”
“I mean, I don’t even know how this is legal at this point. I think it’s shocking,” the New York congressman told reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on July 14. “Why is everyone pretending this is normal? This is not normal at all.”
Other lawmakers also questioned McConnell’s prolonged absence from Congress.
Sen. Josh Hawley wished his Republican colleagues and their families well, but said, “At some point, we have an obligation to tell our constituents and the country what’s going on.” In a Fox News Digital interview published July 19, Sen. Josh Hawley wished his Republican colleagues and their families well.
Contributor: Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Jay Stahl, USA TODAY
Contact reporter Lillian Metzmeier at lmetzmeier@usatodayco.com.
