Conservative commentator Scott Jennings on Friday said he expects an update on Sen. Mitch McConnell‘s (R-KY) health to come early next week when the Senate heads back into session.
The Kentucky lawmaker’s medical emergency last month has resulted in a lengthy hospital stay with few updates, which has sparked wild speculation.
Speaking with CNN’s Kasie Hunt on The Arena, Jennings said he was informed that McConnell’s team has been meeting with him regularly to brief him on certain issues. Jennings, who is a friend of and worked for McConnell, said he spoke with him for roughly 20 minutes and he’s “still recovering.”
“I have been in touch with his staff, and I know he’s been meeting with his staff the last couple of days,” Jennings said. “But understand, he’s, you know, getting briefed and talking about issues with the team. So it sounds like somebody who’s staying engaged with the duties at the moment.”
Jennings was also asked about a video obtained by CNN that allegedly shows McConnell being loaded into an ambulance on a gurney by first responders outside his Washington, D.C., home. The political commentator dismissed the idea that McConnell being transported by ambulance indicates the seriousness of the situation.
“I’m not surprised,” Jennings said. “I mean, typically that’s the way you get to a hospital, in an ambulance. And so I wasn’t surprised to see there was some video of it.”
Jennings also said it didn’t seem like EMS were “frantic” and the video doesn’t show “anybody being resuscitated,” which he alluded to being a good sign.
Jennings also urged McConnell’s office to provide an update on the senator’s health, as his team has offered scant updates since he was hospitalized in June for a medical event. The lack of information on McConnell’s status has triggered questions about whether he will be able to finish his term.
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“They do need to tell the people of Kentucky what’s going on, how he’s doing, and if and when he intends to go back to work,” he said, adding that he understands some lawmakers are not forthcoming about their health, but he has conveyed to McConnell’s team that a status update is needed.
Multiple outlets have reported that first responders were called to McConnell’s Washington home and referenced “cardiac arrest” during the call, citing emergency dispatch audio. Conservative commentator Laura Loomer also said an anonymous source told her McConnell was “brain dead” with “machines keeping him alive,” but provided no additional evidence to support her claims. McConnell’s office has not commented on either report.