Senator Mitch McConnell gave a major update on his health Sunday night after he was hospitalized last month and amid mounting speculation over his condition.
In an email update sent to his constituents in Kentucky, the 84-year-old revealed he was admitted after a fall and later developed a case of mild pneumonia.
The senator also shared a photo smiling beside his wife as he sat upright in bed.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” McConnell said. “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 wrote. “While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.”
McConnell added that he would not be able to return to the Senate in the immediate future, but plans to return to the floor once he is able.
“As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you,” McConnell wrote.
Rumors and conspiracy theories have been circulating about McConnell’s health for a month after media reports surfaced in mid June that medical responders had been dispatched to his home.
His team, until now, remained largely silent on the matter, which the senator addressed.
He noted that “folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older.”
“Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct — I can't help it,” he said.
McConnell added that he understood his constituents expect a representative who will be able to work hard for them, and that his health was a contributing factor in his decision to retire at the end of his term.
“You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. 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," he wrote. "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.”
He said that he intends to work hard to “get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible” and will provide constituents with regular updates on his health.
The message also contained a statement from the Office of the Attending Physician, which provides health care to members of Congress.
“Senator McConnell has experienced several falls throughout the year that have been attributed to his post-polio condition. He was admitted to the hospital four weeks ago after falling at home and sustaining minor injuries,” the statement said.
McConnell underwent a “comprehensive evaluation” that found he had broken no bones and suffered no concussions, but had developed pneumonia.
“The remainder of his hospital stay focused on physical therapy and strategies to reduce his risk of future falls. He has been medically cleared to continue fully participating in his intensive physical therapy program,” his physician said.
McConnell’s health update comes less than a day after the nation learned of the unexpected death of fellow Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
Graham’s office announced his death just after 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. The senator died after a “brief and sudden illness.”
