McConnell No-Show as Senate Returns, Aides Promise Wednesday
McConnell No-Show as Senate Returns, Aides Promise Wednesday
The News
Sen. Mitch McConnell did not show up Monday as the Senate reconvened, extending a health-related absence that has now run more than three months and left colleagues guessing about the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican's condition.
McConnell has not voted in person since he was hospitalized in June, Politico reported.
Aides told GOP leadership he will be back on Capitol Hill by Wednesday, according to reports from Mediaite and The Independent. His own office has stayed silent about his intentions.
Timeline
McConnell is hospitalized. It is the last time the former Senate majority leader votes in person, according to Politico.
McConnell's office discloses that he has returned home after weeks in the hospital and in rehab, then goes quiet about when he might come back to work, Politico reported.
The Senate reconvenes after a five-week summer recess. McConnell is a no-show. GOP lawmakers say they expect him back at the Capitol this week, and his aides reportedly tell leadership the return will come by Wednesday.
A right-wing influencer posts video of McConnell's Washington, D.C., home surrounded by police ahead of a Senate vote, AlterNet reported.
Reactions
Republican lawmakers, according to Politico, believe McConnell will return to the Capitol this week, ending the three-month absence.
McConnell's office is keeping silent about the former leader's plans, Politico reported — a silence that has fed the speculation rather than settled it.
On the left, the absence has drawn sharper claims. Raw Story reported that accusations of "elder abuse" circulated after Monday's no-show, with critics arguing his aides are hiding something about his condition.
What's Next
The test is Wednesday. That is the day McConnell's staff reportedly told lawmakers he would be back on Capitol Hill, and the first real chance for senators — and reporters — to see him in person.
If he does return, the immediate question is whether he resumes voting. His office has released no detailed account of his diagnosis, treatment or prognosis.
More
McConnell is the longest-serving Senate Republican leader in history and stepped down from the leadership post before this Congress. He remains a sitting senator from Kentucky, and every day he misses is a vote his party cannot count on in a narrowly divided chamber.
Poll
Should McConnell's office release details about his health?
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