Sen. Mitch McConnell has spent more than three weeks in the hospital following a cardiac arrest, and his office has released little information about his recovery.
Several Republicans say they’ve had in-depth policy discussions with him since. But one top doctor questions those claims, arguing that someone who recently suffered a medical emergency shouldn’t be taking such calls.
Emergency in Washington
On June 14, first responders were dispatched to McConnell’s home for a “full cardiac arrest.” Audio from the call revealed he was unconscious and received CPR at the scene.
Weeks later, McConnell’s office released a brief statement saying the 84-year-old senator was improving and working with his team.
However, the lack of communication has left many speculating about what’s really going on behind the scenes. After MAGA influencers claimed McConnell was “brain dead,” top Republicans rushed to say they’d spoken with him.
GOP commentator Scott Jennings claimed he talked with McConnell for 20 minutes, while the offices of Senators John Thune and John Barrasso said they’d also been in contact. All three said the conversations focused on policy, including Iran, Ukraine and defense spending.
Questioning the calls
What the statements did not address was McConnell’s actual condition. Aside from saying he was “eager” to return to work, no one mentioned how the senator is actually holding up.
That omission worries Dr. Anahita Dua, a vascular surgeon and founder of Healthcare for Action.
“Is it right for somebody who has just had a major cardiac event to be expected to go back to the floor and make major decisions with the level of stress?” Dua asked The Daily Beast. “I don’t think so. I think that’s elder abuse.”
Dua said 20-minute calls would be a good sign for McConnell’s health. But she questioned why those conversations were so focused on policy.
“They call him for 20 minutes, and they talk about public policy? Like, how about, ‘How you doing, man?’” Dua added. “That’s terrible and stressful and not a very nice thing, and if I were his doctor, I would take away his phone.”
What could have caused Mitch McConnell’s collapse
Dua said the limited information makes it hard to know why McConnell was found unconscious and given CPR. It could be any number of things — a heart attack, a stroke, even something as simple as low blood sugar.
“If he genuinely had a heart attack, like literally a blockage in his blood vessel that feeds his heart that stopped his heart from working, then one of the things that he would have to undergo, potentially, is something called a catheterization or angioplasty of his heart, where we go into the heart vessels and literally open up the blockage, maybe put a stent in there, something of that nature,” she explained.
Even if it wasn’t a heart attack, the other explanations are still cause for concern.
“But if his heart did stop, and he did have decreased blood flow to a portion of his heart for a period of time, then recovery from that can take a while because now your heart muscle is literally damaged and doesn’t pump the way that it’s supposed to be pumping, and that can cause further problems moving forward,” Dua said.
‘Elder abuse’
GOP leaders are catching heat online for their claims about calling McConnell. Critics say the details don’t add up, and many want proof the calls actually took place.
This isn’t the first time McConnell’s health has raised questions. In recent months, he’s needed aides to guide him on Capitol Hill, and he has occasionally used a wheelchair.
Dua said McConnell’s situation is part of a troubling pattern involving older lawmakers.
“I think it is absolutely elder abuse, and this applies to what’s happening with McConnell and what happened with Dianne Feinstein,” she said, referring to the late California Democratic senator, who died at 90 in 2023 while still serving in office.
