Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced on Wednesday that he intends to stay in office for the remainder of his term after the lawmaker’s second freeze-up last week.
The 81-year-old lawmaker, standing before a group of his GOP colleagues on Capitol Hill, brushed off a reporter who asked him to respond to people who are calling on him to step down and whether he had plans to retire.
“I have no announcements to make on that subject,” McConnell said with a chuckle. “I’m going to finish my term as leader. And I’m going to finish my Senate term,” he added, cutting off a follow-up question, before walking away.
"I'm going to finish my term as leader. And I'm going to finish my Senate term."
— Mitch McConnell @LeaderMcConnell pic.twitter.com/WI5tLZUPcT
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) September 6, 2023
McConnell, whose current term ends in January 2027, was briefly hospitalized with a concussion in March after falling at a hotel in Washington, D.C.
Over the past several weeks, he appeared to momentarily freeze and struggle to answer questions while speaking to the press, first last month on Capitol Hill and then last week during an event in Kentucky.
BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Mitch McConnell appearing to have another scary episode in the media gaggle in Covington today. Aides had to step in to help him out and repeat questions. He was eventually lead away. We'll have the full video on @WLWT pic.twitter.com/q9ex5MHxLV
— Hannah Thomas (@HannahPThomas) August 30, 2023
The leader’s office has released two notes from Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the U.S. Congress, over the past several days.
In the first memo, Monahan said he evaluated McConnell’s most recent incident and informed the leader that he was “medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned.” Monahan also noted that occasional “lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration.”
The second memo, this one released on Tuesday as the Senate returned from its summer recess, offered a more detailed explanation.
“My examination of you following your August 30, 2023 brief episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment,” Monahan said.
“There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease,” the physician added. “There are no changes recommended in treatment protocols as you continue recovery from your March 2023 fall.”
Despite the notes, there has been a torrent of speculation about McConnell’s condition and future in Congress.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) emerged from a closed-door lunch meeting on Wednesday and told Fox News that the minority leader explained to his GOP colleagues that he has been given a “clean bill of health” by medical experts.
The “only person in the Milky Way who can make Mitch McConnell step down is Mitch McConnell,” the senator added.