(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
OAN’s Roy Francis
1:55 PM – Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell left his press conference after briefly stopping and staring into space for several seconds while delivering his remarks on Wednesday.
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McConnel (R-Ky.) stood at his podium for the weekly press conference, and said that the annual defense bill is proceeding with “good bipartisan cooperation.”
He then proceeded to trail off midsentence, appearing to lose his train of thought and staring into empty space for around 20 seconds before his Republican colleagues grabbed his elbow and asked if he wanted to go back to his office.
Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to have a health issue while speaking during a press conference in the U.S. Capitol. About 12 minutes later, the Minority Leader returned to the press conference and, when asked about what happened, said, “I’m fine.” pic.twitter.com/EU7zDzGT0m
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 26, 2023
Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and an aide of McConnell slowly escorted him back to his office while Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) and others proceeded to address the press.
McConnell returned to the press conference several minutes later and answered questions from the press.
Q: “Could you address what happened here at the start of the press conference and was it related to your injury from earlier this year where you suffered a concussion?”
Sen. McConnell: “I’m fine.”
Q: “You’re fine? You’re fully able to do your job?”
McConnell: “Yeah.” pic.twitter.com/Can1RtzqmM
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 26, 2023
He was asked about what happened, and if it was related to the fall that he suffered earlier this year, McConnell said that he was “fine” and when asked if he could still perform his duties, he said “yes.”
In March, the Senate Minority Leader had fallen and injured his head at a hotel in Washington, suffering a concussion and a fractured rib.
After being released from the hospital, he spent six weeks recovering from the injuries at home before returning to the Senate.
Barrasso, a former orthopedic surgeon and the number three Republican in the Senate, was asked about his concerns regarding McConnell.
“I said I was concerned when he fell and hit his head a number of months ago and was hospitalized,” he said. “And I think he’s made a remarkable recovery, he’s doing a great job leading our conference and was able to answer every question the press asked him today.”
McConnell was elected to the Senate in 1984 and had become the longest serving Senate party leader in January after he was reelected to another term in 2022.
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