Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear sharply criticized Senator Mitch McConnell and the Senate at large over the Kentucky Republican’s prolonged absence from Congress due to health issues.
Beshear, a Democrat, said on Friday that he still had little information about the condition of McConnell, who was hospitalized in mid-June and released from a rehabilitation center earlier this month.
“I’ve received absolutely nothing, and that's the same that the people of Kentucky have received,” Beshear told MS Now. “This is why the Senate feels broken. These guys don’t think that they have a boss when the people of Kentucky are their boss. They don’t feel like they are accountable whatsoever.”
Beshear called on McConnell to make a video or call into a news show to update the public about his health.
“I want him to get better, but I just believe he has a responsibility to talk to the people of Kentucky, and I don’t think that’s asking a lot,” he added.
The governor also faulted Senate Majority Leader John Thune for not doing more to make a call on whether McConnell’s seat is officially vacant, which could prompt Beshear to call a special election to fill it.
Beshear has previously written to Senate leadership about McConnell and has called on him to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.”
The Independent has contacted the offices of Thune and McConnell for comment.
McConnell was released from a rehab center last Thursday and is now getting care at home.
“Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home,” he said in a statement. “Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I’ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff.”
“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” he added.
Information has been scarce about McConnell’s condition.
Weeks after entering the hospital, McConnell disclosed he was admitted after a fall and had since developed a case of mild pneumonia.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” McConnell said in a statement at the time. “I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.”
McConnell’s lengthy absence from the Senate has been a subject of intense interest and debate in Washington and beyond, as the Trump administration looks to lock in any final legislative wins ahead of the November midterms, where Democrats could retake control of Congress.
Republican senators and conservative commentators insist they have spoken with McConnell and that he remains engaged and physically sound to carry on in office, though McConnell himself hasn’t appeared in any live video appearances that might assure doubters.
McConnell’s hospitalization came after a series of past medical scares, including falls and incidents where the senator froze mid-sentence.
His absence, as well as the recent death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, 71, reignited the long-running debate over whether members of Congress are too old to effectively serve.
About 58 percent of Americans think the share of elderly lawmakers in Congress, which is currently one of the oldest in U.S. history, is a major problem, according to a July CNN / SSRS poll.
