US Senator Mitch McConnell says absence due to fall and pneumonia

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell has broken his silence regarding his health, revealing that a fall and a subsequent mild case of pneumonia led to his hospitalization and absence from the Senate. The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican's statement, released Sunday, addresses weeks of intense speculation following his admission to a hospital in mid-June.

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You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct – I can't help it.

McConnell released a photo of himself with his wife, holding a newspaper, as he explained his delayed disclosure. "You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older," he stated in a written release from his office. He also referenced childhood polio and ongoing "mobility challenges" that have been exacerbated by age.

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My doctors have confirmed that I didn't break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn't have a heart attack or a stroke. I don't have any tumours or haemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.

"Last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital," McConnell said. He clarified that doctors confirmed no broken bones, concussion, heart attack, stroke, tumors, or hemorrhages, though he was "briefly unconscious." While receiving care, he developed pneumonia. He is now in a rehabilitation center and, on doctors' advice, will not return to the Senate floor to vote "quite yet."

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While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I've also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.

Calls for information about the condition of McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, intensified as his hospital stay approached one month. His staff had provided minimal details, only confirming he was "receiving excellent care" and "continues to improve." The statement also follows the recent death of fellow Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

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As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won't be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet.