A single photograph was meant to end weeks of speculation about Mitch McConnell's health. Instead, it sparked an entirely new conspiracy theory over whether the image itself was genuine.
The 84-year-old Kentucky senator had been hospitalised since 14 June, and his office's near-silence in the weeks that followed left a vacuum that online rumour quickly filled. When his office released a photo intended to reassure the public that he was recovering, it only sparked more questions than answers.
