A doctor has questioned whether Mitch McConnell was the subject of “elder abuse” after confidants of the former Republican Senate leader claimed they spoke to him at length on policy issues while he was still recovering in the hospital.
McConnell’s team has provided almost no details on his health as he has remained hospitalized for more than three weeks, but the handling of his mysterious medical emergency and lack of information have sparked serious concerns.
First responders were called to his address on June 14 for a “full cardiac arrest.” Dispatch audio revealed the person was unconscious and CPR was administered.
McConnell’s office has not provided further details on what happened but said in a July 2 statement that the 84-year-old senator was improving and working with his staff.
Top Republicans on Tuesday scrambled to share that they had spoken to McConnell amid claims by MAGA influencers that he was “brain dead.”
The offices of senators John Thune and John Barrasso said they had spoken to him this week. GOP commentator Scott Jennings claimed he spoke to McConnell for 20 minutes. All three indicated they discussed policy, including Iran, Ukraine, and defense spending.
None of the readouts focused on his health apart from suggesting he was “eager” to get back.
“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?” asked Dr. Anahita Dua, a vascular surgeon and founder of Healthcare for Action. “I don’t think so. I think that’s elder abuse.”
Dua said if McConnell is talking to colleagues for 20 minutes as they claim, it’s a good sign for his health. But she took issue with the excessive focus on policy in such calls.
“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.”
When it came to McConnell’s health, based on the limited information available, Dua said there could be a “million reasons” why he was found unconscious in his home and given CPR on the scene. Possible causes range from a heart attack or stroke to simply 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.
She said even if it was not a heart attack, other causes for him to become unconscious are bad.
“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,” she explained.
Dua said him having been in the hospital for three weeks so far is pretty spot on for someone whose heart stopped, but she said the “why” behind it stopping is crucial to assessing his recovery going forward.
“If his heart genuinely took a real hit, not the event of the CPR… but quite literally the heart being damaged now from having the blockage that can take months to recover,” Dua explained.
She also pointed out that the CPR, especially on an 84-year-old, could have caused rib fractures, so he could also be recovering from that.
The challenges all circle back to the lack of information being provided by his team, which has led to so much online speculation, including over whether he is even alive and demands for “proof of life.”
Senators from both parties have previously faced medical emergencies while in office. But if McConnell’s heart did stop, it also raises questions about the length of time oxygen was not being delivered to his brain, which can result in cognitive impairment.
MAGA Republicans and social media users have mercilessly mocked Republican leaders for insisting they had 20-minute conversations with McConnell and are demanding proof that the calls even took place.
No pictures of McConnell or audio recordings have been released.
Even when McConnell was on Capitol Hill in recent months, he has often been spotted being carefully guided around the U.S. Capitol by aides or at times even been in a wheelchair.
“I think it is absolutely elder abuse, and this applies to what’s happening with McConnell and what happened with Dianne Feinstein,” Dua said, noting the late California Democratic senator who passed away while in office in 2023.
