Congress
McConnell says he is leaving rehab, heading home
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Thursday he is leaving rehab to return home after a fall earlier this summer left him hospitalized.
In a statement, McConnell thanked the medical staff who helped him during his stay, but added that he will not be returning to Washington just yet.
“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” McConnell said.
McConnell, 84, was rushed to the hospital on June 14 following a fall and what he described as a “mild case of pneumonia.” He later told constituents that while he was briefly knocked unconscious, he did not suffer any broken bones, a stroke or a heart attack.
His absence from Congress has been met with frustrations about what some have called a lack of transparency. Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear last week demanded the senator resign if he couldn’t “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky” with “proof of your capacity to serve.”
McConnell has suffered several health challenges in recent years, including a fall taken while leaving the Senate chamber that briefly left him using a wheelchair. He announced last year that he would not seek reelection at the end of his current term.