Senator Mitch McConnell’s office is updating on the public on the politician’s health after the shocking death of fellow Senator Lindsey Graham.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages,” McConnell, 84, said in a written statement shared via his office on Sunday, July 12. “But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.”
The senator, who has been hospitalized since June 14, continued in the written statement, “In fact, with signs of continued progress, I’ve been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength.”
After the politician was found unconscious in his home, he was transferred to a local hospital, where he has reportedly been reportedly “working closely with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters as he continues his recovery,” per his spokesperson, Stephanie Penn.
Still, conspiracy theories and calls for transparency have dominated the internet as McConnell has continued to miss voting sessions.
Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, has been outspoken about McConnell’s health in the midst of his hospitalization. The known conspiracy theorist claimed the senator was brain dead amid his hospitalization, alleging she received the information from a “high-level source close to the White House.”
“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” McConnell’s office said in a statement to Us Weekly on July 7, debunking claims the senator was incapacitated. “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
In his Sunday health update, McConnell acknowledge that he has been missing from the Senate floor for some time.
“You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you,” the statement read in part. “And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work. But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.
McConnell’s health update comes in the wake of Graham’s shocking death at age 71 on Saturday, July 11. After his office confirmed his death on Sunday, authorities released a preliminary cause of death, saying the politician died of aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”
An aortic dissection is also referred to as an aorta rupture, per the Mayo Clinic, which can occur when arteries harden over time.
