Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell appears to freeze up for more than 30 seconds during a public appearance before he was escorted away, the second such incident in a little more than a month, after an event with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Covington, Kentucky, August 30, 2023 in a still image from video.
ABC Affiliate WCPO | via Reuters
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is “medically clear” to continue working, the attending physician for the U.S. Congress said one day after the Kentucky Republican froze up during a press conference for the second time this summer.
“Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration,” said Dr. Brian Monahan in a letter shared Thursday from McConnell’s office.
McConnell, 81, had suffered a concussion in March after a fall at a political fundraiser.
At the start of a press conference in Covington, Kentucky, on Wednesday afternoon, McConnell abruptly stopped speaking and stared straight ahead for about 30 seconds. He appeared to fail to respond when an aide approached him to ask if he had heard a reporter’s question.
The episode began after McConnell was asked for his thoughts about running for reelection.
An aide to McConnell had suggested Wednesday that McConnell’s lapse at the press conference was the result of feeling “momentarily lightheaded.”
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