Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Senator Mitch McConnell stumbled in the halls of the Capitol on his way to the Senate floor, raising more questions about the health of the 83-year-old Kentucky Republican.
An aide was seen supporting an unsteady McConnell as he walked down the aisle toward the Senate chamber on Thursday, according to video footage from the scene.
A Sunrise Movement activist asked the senator if he supported decriminalizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “taking working people off the streets and kidnapping them”, before the former majority leader was seen falling forward and landing on their side.
The video shows his aide and a Capitol Police officer standing the senator up before he turns to the camera and waves. A spokesperson for McConnell said Independent That the senators are “all good.” He was heading to the Senate to vote on a short-term spending bill to end the government shutdown.
McConnell – the longest-serving party leader in the history of the upper chamber – has faced intense scrutiny over his health following a series of public incidents. appeared to freeze for several seconds While talking to journalists.
He allegedly suffered two declines earlier this yearAnd he experienced a similar incident in December, when he fell inside the Capitol and suffered minor injuries. McConnell, who was limping after recovering from polio at a young age, returned to work in the Senate shortly afterward with his cheek bandaged.
In 2023, McConnell Stuttered while speaking in at least two incidentsAnd he was away from the Senate for weeks after slipping up at a Washington dinner. He was hospitalized for five nights after suffering a concussion and a broken rib due to a fall. His physiotherapy was done.
The senator rarely addressed the events. cbs face the nation in 2023 He “made a full recovery” after catching a cold in front of journalists that year.
“I’m fine, I’m fully recovered and absolutely fine,” he said.
He insisted he was “in good standing” and declined to answer additional questions about the events, which his office has not clarified despite coming under fire from members of Congress who questioned his ability to serve.
The office of Congress’s attending physician gave him a clean bill of health that year, reporting that he was “medically cleared to continue his program as planned.”
“Occasional dizziness is not unusual in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration,” The office said at the time,
Last year, Senator John Thune replaced McConnell senate republican leaderBreaking a historic period of 18 years as party leader in the upper house.
McConnell intends to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027.
Sunrise Movement executive director Aru Shiney-Ajayi, who captured footage of Thursday’s conversation, said the senator “couldn’t even answer a simple question without falling down, and it’s certainly not the first time he’s not been able to answer young people.”
“Both parties are run by old-timers who have been in politics longer than our lives,” Shiney-Ajay said. “Their incompetence and need to cling to power are not only shameful; they are costly, and the American people are paying the price.”