Washington — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday that he hasn’t heard back from Sen. Mitch McConnell following formal requests for updates on his health last month amid a weekslong hospitalization that prompted widespread speculation and concern.
“I’ve heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell,” Beshear said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
McConnell, 84, was hospitalized on June 14. But he and his staff shared little about his condition for weeks, prompting Beshear to write a letter on July 8 to the longtime Kentucky senator seeking an update on his health. Days later, McConnell put out his first statement since the hospitalization, which he said resulted from a fall, while noting that he had moved to a rehabilitation center.
Earlier this month, McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, released a statement saying he had been discharged from the rehabilitation center, nearly two months after he was initially hospitalized. McConnell said he would continue his recovery at home. The statement did not say when he is expected to return to Capitol Hill.
In his letter to McConnell last month, Beshear, a Democrat, said “Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate.” As governor, he requested that McConnell “fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status” of his health.” In another letter later that month, Beshear urged McConnell to “directly and verbally” address his constituents and provide proof of his ability to continue to serve.
On Sunday, Beshear stressed that McConnell must do more to assure Kentuckians of his ability to carry out the role as senator.
Beshear said, “I do hope that he is getting better,” noting that he’s known McConnell for his entire life. But, he added, that McConnell’s “boss are the people of Kentucky.”
“This is why the Senate, the Republican-controlled Senate, feels so broken, they feel like they’re not accountable to anyone,” Beshear said. “All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox News for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he’s supposed to serve. But you know what? He absolutely refuses to do it.”
Beshear also pointed the blame at Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Thune, who previously served as McConnell’s No. 2 during the Kentucky Republican’s tenure as leader, has deferred to McConnell and his staff for updates on his health, while expressing hope that the senator will return to Capitol Hill soon.
“As the leader of the Senate, you’ve got a duty to make sure all of your senators have the capacity to serve, and what is he saying? Not my job,” Beshear said.