Top Senate Republicans Say They Spoke With McConnell Amid Health Uncertainty

Top Senate Republicans and a CNN commentator on Tuesday said they had spoken with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as questions have swirled online about his health after he was hospitalized last month for an undisclosed condition.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) spoke to McConnell by phone on Tuesday, said Kate Noyes, a spokesperson for Barrasso’s office, in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on July 7.

“Senator Barrasso and Senator McConnell had a lengthy conversation early this afternoon. Their phone call lasted roughly 20 minutes. They caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits,” Noyes said.

The two also spoke about the need to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and confirm Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next director of national intelligence.

“Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate,” Noyes said.

CNN analyst Scott Jennings, a former adviser to McConnell as well as his campaign manager, wrote in a July 7 post on X that he spoke with McConnell earlier that day.

“I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” Jennings wrote. “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. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible.”

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told media outlets on Tuesday that Thune and McConnell, who had been the Senate GOP leader before he stepped down from the position last year, spoke about a range of topics on Tuesday.

McConnell was admitted to the hospital on June 14, according to a statement from his office that only said he was “receiving excellent care.” A statement a week later said that he would not be voting that week. And on July 2, a new statement said that he “continues to improve” and ”appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.”

The senator’s unspecified health issues come after several hospitalizations in recent years. Senate Republicans are already navigating a narrow majority in the final months before the midterm elections. McConnell, 84, was the longest-serving Senate leader in history before stepping aside from that role. He is serving out his final term, which ends in January.

McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was the Republican leader from 2007 until last year, serving as both majority and minority leader during that period. He has remained active as a rank-and-file senator, showing up for work when the chamber is in session, sometimes using a wheelchair to get around.

McConnell’s offices and Thune’s offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.