MIA Mitch McConnell Must Explain His Absence Or Retire

He’s dead. No, he’s alive. He’s brain dead. He’s living in a Barstow Motel 6 under an assumed name with Elvis.

The political and social media spheres have been buzzing for nearly a month about Sen. Addison Mitchell McConnell’s state of …  existence. The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican reportedly was admitted to a D.C.-area hospital on June 14 after he suffered “cardiac arrest” at his Capitol Hill townhouse.

And then he just seemed to disappear. 

“Have you spoken to Sen. Mitch McConnell?” a reporter asked President Donald Trump on Thursday. 

“No I haven’t.” Trump answered. 

“Do you know how he’s doing?” asked another. 

“I have no idea how he’s doing,” the president said. 

Do his colleagues?

The upper house’s rules are clear: senators must disclose to the Senate reasons for an extensive absence, as The Federalist’s co-founder and CEO Sean Davis noted Thursday on X. It’s not clear whether McConnell, who holds the record as the longest-serving party leader in the Senate’s history, has followed the rules. 

‘His Constituents Deserve Answers’

On July 2, McConnell’s staff said in a statement the former Senate majority leader appreciated the outpouring of support “he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.” At that point, his staff said McConnell was improving, and that he was working closely with his office “on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of Session.” 

That’s right. The Senate is on vacation while critical bills like the SAVE America Act collect dust. 

But McConnell’s absence completely out of the public eye is strange — and concerning. It has created a stir. Lots of speculation, plenty of conspiracy theories. 

His last Senate vote was June 11, three days before he reportedly suffered a loss of consciousness and was rushed to the hospital. A couple of weeks prior to the sketchy incident, McConnell was photographed getting around the Capitol in a wheelchair. 

The last time he ostensibly weighed in on his Facebook and X accounts was on June 12, two days before the “incident.” 

He’s not well. That’s been clear for some time. But is McConnell dead?

Some lawmakers are worried.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., on Thursday told Good Morning America that he doesn’t know whether McConnell is dead or alive. 

“I have not heard from him, and I think it’s a question that Republicans should be asking because he does represent the state of Kentucky,” Stutzman said. “His constituents deserve answers where he is at.” 

Conservative “influencer” and Trump ally Laura Loomer insists McConnell is “officially brain dead,” per a “high level source close to the White House.” 

‘He’s Not Brain Dead’

But the reports of McConnell’s death have been greatly exaggerated, according to some who know the senator, and a few who don’t. CNN reported that a Rep. Jack Kimble of California’s 54th District confirmed McConnell’s aliveness. Unfortunately for CNN neither Jack Kimble nor the fictitious 54th exist. 

“I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” the political parody account posted on X. “He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 45 minutes. He’s so sharp. Just like always he let me do all of the talking. He’s a great listener. After that we prayed silently for awhile and had a staring contest. Just like always, he beat me.”

Actual lawmakers — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, Wyo., said they have spoken with McConnell earlier this week, each chatting with the senator about the issues of the day. At least their spokespeople said they said that. 

NewsNation political campaign reporter Jackie Koppell late Thursday reported that a “source familiar with the McConnell health situation” told her that the senator is alive. 

“He’s not brain dead. He’s in rehab and the hospital. With his condition, he needs time to physically recover. But mentally he’s fine. The doctors want to make sure he’s okay,” the source said, according to Koppell. If the source is California Jack Kimble, we’re back to square one, of course. 

‘McConnell has an Obligation to Resign’

The problem is, McConnell’s flunkies refuse to say what’s ailing the old man this time, what his prognosis is, when or if he is expected to return to the Senate. They have provided no photos, no video, no proof of life. And a whole lot of speculation has filled the uncertainty gap — more so because the senator’s most recent appearances at the Capitol involved aides helping walk. 

The octogenarian lawmaker set to retire when his current term ends in January, has dealt with several health incidents over the past few years, some that have sidelined him for extended periods of time. 

McConnell’s disappearance presents a bigger problem for the Senate and his constituents. 

As Davis points out, the Standing Rules of the Senate state, “No Senator shall absent himself from the service of the Senate.”

“Rather than communicating through secret phone calls or anonymous sources, McConnell has an obligation to disclose to the Senate the reason(s) for his extended absence and to request permission of the Senate to grant him the privilege of continued absence,” Davis wrote Thursday on X. 

“Without that disclosure and request, and without explicit Senate approval for his extended absence (which I am sure the Senate would grant), McConnell has an obligation to resign. But he is required to make the request under the Standing Rules of the Senate,” he added. 

“These are the rules, and it’s long past time for senators to actually follow them.”

McConnell’s mysterious time away seems to be complicating Senate business. 

The Senate is on yet another recess until Monday, and the “deliberative” body is running out of time to do much of anything before the traditional long summer recess — more than a month beginning the second week of August. Then, with campaigning season upon us, the road to a timely budget appears paved with selfish intentions. 

McConnell is chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. He’s the on the powerful Appropriations Committee. As The Washington Post reported, McConnell’s absence forced the subcommittee’s leadership to cancel a critical hearing on defense spending.  

“McConnell’s continued absence could make it harder for the Appropriations Committee to pass budget bills, by eliminating Republicans’ one-seat majority on the panel,” the outlet reported.  “Without McConnell, the Appropriations Committee is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and tied votes tend to sink legislation in committees.”

Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.