The attending physician of Congress examined Mitch McConnell after his second freezing incident last week and found that the Senator minority leader showed no signs of “a seizure disorder.”
“There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA [transient ischemic attack] or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease. There are no changes recommended in treatment protocols as you continue recovery from your March 2023 fall,” Dr. Brian Monahan wrote in a statement released on Tuesday.
The prognosis comes after McConnell, 81, experienced a second “freezing” incident during a press conference last Wednesday when he was asked about running for reelection. An aide repeatedly asked the Kentucky senator the question, but McConnell could only muster a blank state.
“I’m sorry y’all, we’re going to need a minute,” the staffer told the audience at the time.
BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Mitch McConnell appearing to have another scary episode in the media gaggle in Covington today. Aides had to step in to help him out and repeat questions. He was eventually lead away. We'll have the full video on @WLWT pic.twitter.com/q9ex5MHxLV
— Hannah Thomas (@HannahPThomas) August 30, 2023
Following the incident, Monahan released a similar message reassuring the public of McConnell’s health.
“I have consulted with Leader McConnell and conferred with his neurology team,” he wrote in a statement last Thursday. “After evaluating yesterday’s incident, I have informed Leader McConnell that he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned.”
In July, McConnell experienced a similar episode when he stopped speaking mid-sentence at a press conference on Capitol Hill and stared for a half-a-minute until fellow Republican senator John Barrasso jumped to his aide.
“Do you want to say anything else to the press?” Barrasso, a senior-ranking Republican and trained medical doctor, whispered to McConnell before shuffling him away from reporters.
Last Thursday, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley blasted Senate Republicans for circling the wagons and protecting McConnell calling the upper chamber a “privileged nursing home.”
“No one should feel good about seeing that, any more than we should feel good about seeing Dianne Feinstein, any more than we should feel good about a lot of what’s happening or seeing Joe Biden’s decline,” the Republican presidential contender told Fox News.
“What I will say is, right now, the Senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country,” Haley said. “I mean, Mitch McConnell has done some great things and he deserves credit. But you have to know when to leave.”
Haley, the former American ambassador to the United Nations, has campaigned on introducing mental-competency tests for politicians over the age of 75.
McConnell was first elected in 1984 and became the longest serving Republican in the Senate this January.