WASHINGTON — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is asking Mitch McConnell, the senior senator from his state, for an update on his health and whether he believes he can continue to serve in the role.
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Beshear, a Democrat, sent a letter to McConnell’s office on Wednesday urging the senator to be “transparent” as “Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate.”
Beshear’s letter comes 24 days after the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican was first hospitalized following a medical emergency that his office has declined to elaborate on.
Since then, there has been rampant speculation about McConnell’s condition on both the left and the far right.
NBC News reported last week that paramedics had conducted CPR on an individual experiencing a “cardiac arrest” at a known address for McConnell on June 14, the same day his office disclosed he had been hospitalized. But the office has not provided any information about why he was hospitalized, what his current condition is or when he might return to the Senate.
“Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the health and well-being of Sen. McConnell. As Governor — and a fellow public official who understands the commitment we’ve made to the people we serve — I am requesting the Senator provide an update on his current health status,” Beshear said in a statement accompanying his letter.
“Allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians, and my hope is that this provides him the opportunity to share the information in a transparent manner, direct from the source,” the governor continued. “I wish him a safe and speedy recovery.”
McConnell’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Tuesday, a McConnell spokesman referred NBC News to some McConnell allies who had said they had held separate 20-minute phone calls with the former Senate majority leader in recent days on a variety of subjects, including the Iran war, the Graham Platner scandal in Maine and Supreme Court rulings.
Those who said they connected with McConnell include Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and a former McConnell campaign aide, Scott Jennings.
Earlier this week, a McConnell spokesman said a statement the office issued last week was still accurate and that the senator remained in the hospital. That July 2 statement read: “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
The Senate is set to come back into session next week, but it’s unclear when McConnell might return.
