Video Shows McConnell Motionless Days Before He Was Hospitalized

On June 4, C-SPAN recorded Mitch McConnell, then 84, remaining largely motionless for a five-hour stretch of a marathon Senate vote-a-rama on a $70 billion Republican reconciliation package that includes funding for ICE and Border Patrol. An aide is seen repeatedly nudging his wheelchair while the senator offers only occasional, feeble hand raises and does not speak. The clip, brought to attention by journalist Desiree Townsend, precedes his removal by ambulance on June 14 and his subsequent silence in public.

Although three statements purportedly from McConnell say he was discharged from a rehabilitation center and is recuperating at home, he has not released any video of himself speaking, prompting calls for transparency from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. His wife Elaine Chao appeared in photos taken in a hospital bed, but no IV was visible. A spokesperson for McConnell declined to comment. The senator’s prolonged absence leaves Senate Republicans without a key vote as President Donald Trump pushes his agenda in a narrowly divided chamber.