{"id":1984815,"date":"2023-07-28T05:16:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T09:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-projects-normalcy-after-freeze-up-incident-prompts-health-questions\/"},"modified":"2023-07-28T05:18:50","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T09:18:50","slug":"mcconnell-projects-normalcy-after-freeze-up-incident-prompts-health-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-projects-normalcy-after-freeze-up-incident-prompts-health-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"McConnell appears unaffected after health concerns arise from freeze-up incident."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmcconnell-projects-normalcy-after-freeze-up-incident-prompts-health-questions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1984815&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>McConnell&#8217;s Health Scare Raises Questions, but \u200cHe Remains Resilient<\/h2>\n<p>It was business as usual \u200cfor Senate Minority \u200bLeader \u200bMitch \u200bMcConnell\u2063 (R-KY)\u200b on Thursday as\u200d he tried to quash speculation\u200c about his \u2062health and ability to serve out his term\u2064 following his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-projects-normalcy-after-freeze-up-incident-prompts-health-questions\/\" title=\"McConnell appears unaffected after health concerns arise from freeze-up incident.\">highly-publicized medical episode<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell \u2064went straight\u2064 back to work after the Wednesday afternoon incident. \u2062He was seen going back and forth from \u2064his leadership office to the Senate \u2063floor\u200b throughout that evening\u2063 for National Defense Authorization Act amendment votes. While on the floor, he went\u2064 back and \u2063forth \u200cbetween standing while leaning on\u2062 a desk and sitting down. \u2063The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schiff-nadler-call-flynn-pardon-abuse-of-power\/\" title=\"Schiff, Nadler Call Flynn Pardon 'Abuse of Power'\">minority leader<\/a> also made time to stop by a Major League Baseball dinner to deliver a \u200bbrief speech before returning\u200d to the Capitol for\u200c late-night votes.<\/p>\n<h3>Support from Colleagues<\/h3>\n<p>On Thursday morning, McConnell spoke from the Senate floor regarding the need for increased defense production and met with\u2062 business leaders from Lexington,\u2064 Kentucky, in a Capitol meeting room. Later on, he met with Italian Prime\u2063 Minister Giorgia Meloni in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer&#8217;s \u200d(D-NY) leadership office, located a short\u2062 walk from where\u2064 he works.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2063 top Senate \u2062Republican ignored questions from reporters as he \u2062walked \u200baround the Capitol. He also \u2062attended votes throughout the day\u200b and into the evening as the Senate passed the NDAA, mingling with \u2063colleagues \u2064on both sides of the aisle\u2063 who offered him well wishes.<\/p>\n<p>Sens.\u2063 Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Brian \u2062Schatz (D-HI), Peter Welch (D-VT), \u200bMazie Hirono (D-HI), \u2063Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-NM), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), \u200bAmy \u200bKlobuchar (D-MN), and Jack Reed (D-RI)\u200c were among the Democrats spotted embracing\u200c McConnell on the floor Thursday night, none of whom advertise themselves as fans of his.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans, naturally, did\u200b their part in checking up \u2062on him as well.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I \u200chad an extensive conversation\u200d with him today on\u200d the floor. He was absolutely fine and as smart as \u2064ever, \u2064no difference,&#8221; Sen. Susan\u2062 Collins (R-ME) told the \u2064Washington Examiner\u200d on \u200bThursday about McConnell. &#8220;And during the \u200bevening last night, he was on the floor, chatting, voting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Health Challenges and Resilience<\/h3>\n<p>McConnell, 81, had just begun\u2063 speaking to reporters about the NDAA Wednesday when he suddenly froze, \u200blooking straight ahead with a blank stare for 18\u200d seconds. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the Senate GOP \u2063Conference chairman\u2062 and a former orthopedic surgeon,\u200d walked up \u2064to the lectern to ask McConnell\u2064 if he was OK. Barrasso and a McConnell aide then helped walk the Republican leader\u200d to his office down the\u2064 hall, where he stayed for a \u200bfew \u200dminutes before returning to take\u200c questions from \u200creporters.<\/p>\n<p>The Kentucky senator told \u2064colleagues later on\u200d that his doctors had \u2062warned\u2062 that he could experience lightheadedness as\u200b a result of \u2064injuries sustained during his March fall. That fall, which took place at a Washington, D.C., hotel, left the minority leader with a serious concussion and several broken ribs. McConnell returned to the Senate six weeks \u200dafter the incident looking frail, \u2063though he has still\u200b maintained a full schedule.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2064March fall was far from \u200bMcConnell&#8217;s\u200d first serious medical challenge. The seven-term \u200bsenator is a polio survivor. He walks with a limp and has long struggled\u200c with\u200c stairs and \u2064other \u200cobstacles as a result. He also fractured\u200d his shoulder after falling\u200c in August 2019 while home in Kentucky, which required surgery.<\/p>\n<p>The lack\u2064 of candor\u200b is not entirely surprising. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader \u200din U.S. history,\u2063 is revered \u200bas one of the greatest political \u200boperators in the last century. The GOP leader has always been \u200bcareful about\u200d how he presents himself to the press \u2062and larger public, especially given that \u2063showing any signs of vulnerability could \u200blead to\u2064 questions about his power.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell&#8217;s closed-mouth approach is part of what made seeing him in a rare moment of public distress so jarring. The incident followed a \u200dseries of \u2064falls, two of which\u200b were not\u2062 revealed to the public until after the Wednesday episode.<\/p>\n<p>The first slip occurred in\u200b February, while McConnell was in Helsinki, Finland, to\u2062 meet the Finnish president. \u200dThe\u200c second \u2063took place\u200d earlier this\u200b month\u200c at\u2064 the Ronald Reagan\u200b National Airport in Washington, D.C.,\u200c while disembarking from a flight that\u2063 was canceled.<\/p>\n<h3>Confidence in McConnell&#8217;s Leadership<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;He seems to bounce back pretty quickly,&#8221; Sen. Kevin Cramer\u200b (R-ND) told the Washington Examiner on Thursday of\u200b the Republican leader. &#8220;I&#8217;m glad we have\u2064 a long \u200crecess for all of us \u200dto take a little \u2063bit of a break and for him to rest \u2063up some more. Sometimes I \u2063wonder if he came back a little too quickly from \u2062the last fall. But, \u2063you \u200cknow, he\u2062 was\u200d fine. In fact, today at lunch, he was quite engaged \u2063and listening to\u200c the\u200d discussion \u2062and \u2063engaging\u2064 in it himself rather spontaneously.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Barrasso,\u200b a member of McConnell&#8217;s leadership team, said on\u200d Wednesday that he had &#8220;been concerned since the\u2064 first time \u200che was injured a number of months \u2063ago, [and] I\u2063 continue to be concerned&#8221; about his condition.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the Wyoming\u200d senator rejected the notion that McConnell&#8217;s\u200d condition was worsening, \u200csaying he had &#8220;no new concerns.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s made a remarkable recovery,\u201d Barrasso \u200dsaid. \u201cHe\u2019s doing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-leaves-news-conference-after-freezing-mid-sentence\/\" title=\"McConnell abruptly exits press conference, halting his speech.\">great job leading<\/a> our conference. He was able to answer \u200bevery \u2062question \u2062that the press asked him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barrasso&#8217;s\u2062 leadership \u200ccolleagues toed\u200d the same line, expressing their confidence in McConnell&#8217;s ability to do the\u2064 job \u2064and insisting he remains in control of the conference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI take him at his word,&#8221; Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told reporters \u2063Thursday. &#8220;Apparently, he \u200cwas dehydrated, got a little\u2062 lightheaded, but now he\u2019s fine.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He said he&#8217;s\u200b fine, and I\u2062 take him \u200dat face value,&#8221;\u200c Sen. John Thune \u2064(R-SD) said. &#8220;You heard him respond to questions yesterday. \u2063He was\u2064 very crisp in his answers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn and Thune are \u2064seen as McConnell&#8217;s most \u200dlikely, and most interested,\u2062 successors.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s doing fine, amazingly. He seems \u2062to be\u2064 back, answering questions. I&#8217;ve talked to him a \u200dcouple times,\u200c and he\u2062 seems right on,&#8221; Sen.\u200d Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who also\u200d serves in\u2063 leadership, told the Washington Examiner Thursday evening.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans outside\u2064 of leadership also said \u200dthey view \u2064McConnell&#8217;s imminent retirement as an unlikely \u200cprospect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s fine\u2064 and will\u200c continue\u200b to lead the party,\u201d Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said of\u2064 McConnell. \u201cI\u2063 don\u2019t anticipate any \u2064change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m \u200dnot\u2062 gonna speak about\u2064 anybody&#8217;s health,&#8221; Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) explained. &#8220;The leader \u2062is \u2062here. He&#8217;s voting, and he\u200b is present.\u200c And \u200cthat&#8217;s what we&#8217;re asking from him.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) swiftly resumed his duties on Thursday, dispelling concerns about his health and capacity to fulfill his term. Following a widely-covered medical incident on Wednesday, McConnell promptly returned to work, observed shuttling between his engagements without interruption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1984816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1984815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1984815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1984815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1984815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1984816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1984815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1984815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1984815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}