Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), and Kentucky-born political commentator Scott Jennings say they all spoke with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as the senior senator remains in the hospital, where he has been for several weeks.
“Leader Thune spoke with Sen. McConnell yesterday by phone,” a Thune spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday. “They had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.”
McConnell, 84, was admitted to a Washington, D.C., hospital on June 14 and has remained in the facility since. His office has not disclosed why McConnell was hospitalized or clarified what exact state he is in, leaving social media personalities and pundits to speculate about his condition. In an initial statement in June, McConnell’s office confirmed his hospitalization and told reporters that the senator was “receiving excellent care.”
Barrasso spokeswoman Kate Noyes told the Washington Examiner that the two senators shared a “lengthy conversation” on Tuesday.
“Their phone call lasted roughly 20 minutes,” Noyes said. “They caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits. They also discussed the Senate’s July work period, including the need to pass the NDAA and confirm President Trump’s nominee for director of National Intelligence. Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.”
Jennings also said he had a near 20-minute conversation with McConnell on Tuesday.
“I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” Jennings wrote on X. “He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history.”
Jennings, who has both worked for McConnell and been his friend for decades, released the statement on X, where much of the social media speculation on McConnell’s health has taken place.
“I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible,” Jennings said.
McConnell’s office has released several updated statements in late June and early July, without getting into the specifics of his condition. McConnell’s spokespeople confirmed he would be missing votes in late June and said he is “still working closely with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters as he continues his recovery.”
In early July, the office released a similar statement saying McConnell appreciates the support he has received and “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
Emergency dispatch audio reported by multiple outlets indicated that first responders with an advanced life support team were called to his home on June 14 for an unconscious patient, referencing “cardiac arrest” as the emergency, but McConnell’s office has not confirmed those details or verified the 911 audio.
WHAT IS MITCH MCCONNELL’S STATUS WEEKS AFTER EMERGENCY HOSPITALIZATION?
Conservative social media commentator Laura Loomer had claimed on social media on Monday that an unidentified source told her McConnell was “brain dead” with “machines keeping him alive,” providing no additional evidence to support her claims. McConnell’s office has not publicly commented on Loomer’s claim, but Thune, Barrasso, and Jennings’ statements all directly contradict Loomer’s account.
The seven-term senator has dealt with numerous health issues over the past few years, suffering a concussion and a broken rib after a fall in 2023 and experienced two public freezing episodes that year. This year, McConnell was also hospitalized in February with flu-like symptoms.