Senator Mitch McConnell breaks silence: 'Mild pneumonia' developed after fall
Sen. McConnell breaks silence after hospitalization
We are learning more this week as Sen. Mitch McConnell says that a fall led to his ongoing hospitalization. The statement released Sunday marks his first public explanation of his condition after weeks of speculation surrounding his health. McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he has undergone a battery of tests as doctors try to determine what led to his fall. He explained the long silence around his condition by saying that "folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older."
Sen. Mitch McConnell said Sunday that a fall led to his hospitalization, marking his first public explanation of his condition after weeks of speculation about the Kentucky Republican's health.
What they're saying:
McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he has undergone a battery of tests as doctors try to determine what led to his fall. He explained the long silence about his condition by saying that "folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older."
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"Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct — I can’t help it," he said.
Questions swirl over McConnell's hospitalization
Questions continue to swirl over Kentucky GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell's hospitalization. LiveNOW's Alexandra Goldberg has more.
What's next:
McConnell said he is now in a rehabilitation center and will not be returning to the Senate "quite yet." He said he continues to work with his staff on Senate business in the meantime.
The statement included a smiling picture of the senator with his wife Elaine Chao, a tacit response to speculation online that McConnell had died or was incapacitated.
The backstory:
It comes following his hospitalization on June 14. McConnell’s office for weeks provided little information, insisting only that he was "receiving excellent care" and recovering. As his hospital stay grew longer, speculation mounted about his condition. It grew so intense that Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear took the extraordinary step of asking that McConnell update the public about his health in a "transparent manner."
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes primarily from a statement released by Sen. Mitch McConnell. This story was reported from Los Angeles.