For a second time, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell appears to have suffered some sort of a seizure during a public appearance. Once again, he’s shrugging it off as simply being a little light headed. Everyone is wondering if it’s a lot more serious. “Tooter the Turtle” seemed to keep popping in and out of his shell in fits and starts. “In total, the minority leader was silent for more than 20 seconds.”
McConnell goes blank again
It’s not good when a ranking senator like Mitch McConnell goes blank and freezes in the middle of a speech. The incident happened Wednesday, August 30, while the Senate Minority Leader was fielding questions from reporters in his home state of Kentucky.
After meeting with a local group in Covington, the press was quizzing him about his plans for 2026. That’s when he “appeared to freeze for several seconds.”
The incident, reports are noting, “mirrored another occasion when he abruptly stopped speaking in late July.” The reporter asked about his reelection plans, then repeated it when “McConnell said he couldn’t hear.”
We are a national embarrassment. These people are running our country into the ground. How are we still allowing this? Mitch McConnell isn’t even fit enough to answer questions, but he leads the Senate Republicans. Why would anyone vote for this?
— 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_in_Flint) August 30, 2023
The 81-year-old then chuckled amiably and quipped “Oh, that’s, uhh —” and froze solid. It was like his brain’s OS memory “page file” kicked in and his mouse stopped moving. “After about seven seconds, an aide approached and asked the senator if he had heard the question.”
The befuddled senator “stared straight ahead, and the aide asked reporters to give them a minute.” That’s when “another aide then walked over and spoke to McConnell, who signaled that he was fine.”
After a quick mental re-boot, he “then cleared his throat, said ‘Okay,‘ and continued to take questions.” He was talking and apparently lucid but “his answers were stilted.”
No big deal
After the press conference, a spokesman for the senator issued a formal notice declaring everything is just fine and dandy. “Leader McConnell felt momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today.”
That’s the official story and they’re sticking to it. He’s fine and able to do all his work well into 2032 after being reaffirmed in ’26, they insist. That’s what they said the last time he blanked out on his feet.
Off the record, “an aide to the senator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private details, said McConnell would consult a doctor before his next event ‘as a prudential measure.‘” Just to be on the safe side. July’s episode of “light-headedness” also lasted around 20 seconds.
After Biden talks about Mitch McConnell, a reporter asks him "Do you think he's fit to serve and should run for re-election?"
Biden turns to Sec. Mayorkas and asks "Are you running?" pic.twitter.com/inJaoCaTxY
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 30, 2023
That time, Senators John Barrasso and Joni Ernst “who were at his side that day, asked whether he was all right.” He didn’t answer, simply stared off into space until his mental mouse started moving again. He didn’t seem to realize he’d missed anything.
That time, Senator Barrasso “suggested that McConnell take a break and guided him away.” Several minutes later he was back at the podium and telling reporters that he was “fine.”
While the beltway is already speculating as to who Kentucky’s Democrat governor, Andy Beshear, would appoint to finish Mitch’s term, the governor himself is pushing back. He’s not dead yet, you vultures, he diplomatically screams. “There’s not going to be a vacancy,” Beshear scolded Politico. “That would be total speculation.“