Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said he has received no response from Sen. Mitch McConnell following formal requests for updates on the Republican’s health, calling out Senate Republican leadership over the lawmaker’s prolonged absence.
“I’ve heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell,” Beshear said Sunday on CBS News’ Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.
McConnell, 84, was hospitalized on June 14 following a fall. McConnell’s comments echo what he said last week.
“I’ve received absolutely nothing, and that’s the same that the people of Kentucky have received,” Beshear told MS Now on Friday, as reported by The Independent. “This is why the Senate feels broken. These guys don’t think that they have a boss when the people of Kentucky are their boss. They don’t feel like they are accountable whatsoever.”
Weeks after entering the hospital, the longtime Kentucky senator disclosed in a statement that he had also developed a case of mild pneumonia.
open image in gallery“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” McConnell said at the time. “I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.”
The 84-year-old childhood polio survivor was released from a rehabilitation center to continue his recovery at home after nearly two months.
“Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home,” McConnell said in a statement released after his discharge. “Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff. On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business.”
The statement provided no specific date for his return to Capitol Hill.
Beshear previously sent a letter on July 8 seeking details on McConnell’s health, writing that “Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate.”
open image in galleryIn a follow-up letter later that month, the governor urged McConnell to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.”
Beshear reiterated those demands on Sunday, saying McConnell should make a public media appearance to demonstrate his fitness for office.
“All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox News for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he’s supposed to serve,” Beshear said Sunday.
He added: “But you know what? He absolutely refuses to do it.”
“I do hope that he is getting better,” Beshear said on CBS, adding that he has known McConnell his entire life.
Beshear also directed criticism at Senate Majority Leader John Thune, faulting him for deferring to McConnell’s staff rather than evaluating whether the seat was officially vacant, which could trigger a special election.
“As the leader of the Senate, you’ve got a duty to make sure all of your senators have the capacity to serve, and what is he saying?” Beshear told CBS. “Not my job.”
Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators maintain they have communicated with McConnell and that he remains capable of serving. However, the absence has intensified scrutiny regarding the age of congressional members, particularly following the recent death of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, 71.
A July CNN/SSRS poll showed 58 percent of Americans viewed the number of elderly lawmakers in Congress as a major problem.