Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office on Tuesday released more information from the U.S. Capitol physician about the 81-year-old Kentucky Republican’s health, as his two freeze-ups in five weeks continue to spark questions about his future.
“There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Brian Monahan in a letter released by McConnell’s office. TIA refers to a transient ischemic attack, a type of stroke.
“There are no changes recommended in treatment protocols as you continue recovery from your March 2023 fall,” the doctor added. McConnell, who is the top Senate Republican, was hospitalized and underwent rehabilitation in March after he suffered a concussion in a fall at a hotel.
Monahan also wrote that his evaluation of McConnell after last Wednesday’s incident involved “consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment,” as well as magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, of his brain and an electroencephalogram, or EEG.
Last Thursday, Monahan described McConnell as “medically clear” to continue working.
In a statement after the freeze-up on July 26, a spokesperson said McConnell plans to serve out the rest of the 118th Congress as the Senate’s GOP leader, but the statement didn’t address his plans for the next Congress, which starts in January 2025.
If McConnell leaves the post of Senate Republican leader, three GOP senators are viewed as in the running to succeed him: John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota. They’ve been referred to as the “Three Johns.”
A number of political figures have drawn attention this year due to advanced age or health problems, including President Joe Biden, who is 80; Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who is 90; Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who is 54; and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, who is 57.
McConnell’s current term as a U.S. senator runs through 2026, and Kentucky’s Democratic governor would be required to pick a Republican to replace him if he steps down early.
The editors of the National Review, a conservative magazine, wrote last week that “the time has come for the Kentucky senator, after his long, impressive run, to make the decision to step aside from leadership.”
The Senate is returning to work on Washington, D.C., on Tuesday following its August recess amid growing expectations that Congress won’t be able to avert a partial government shutdown.
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