Washington – Senator Mitch McConnell, the outgoing Republican leader in the Senate, collapsed on Capitol Hill after lunch with colleagues and suffered minor injuries, his office said Tuesday.
“Leader McConnell slipped after lunch. He suffered a minor facial injury and a sprained wrist. He has been cleared to resume his program,” a McConnell spokesman said.
The 82-year-old Kentucky Republican is set to step down from his leadership role next month when the new Congress convenes, clearing the way for Senator John Thune of South Dakota to take the reins as the GOP regains the majority.
Thune said McConnell was “fine” and referred further questions to McConnell's staff. Medical personnel were seen leaving McConnell's office, and the senator was seen later in the day wearing a wrist brace and a bandage under his eye, telling reporters he was feeling “good.”
This isn't the first public health scare for McConnell, who suffered from polio as a child.
McConnell was admitted to hospital He suffered an injury after a fall in March 2023. McConnell was attending a private dinner when he suffered a stroke and was in the hospital for several days before completing inpatient rehabilitation,
Later in 2023, McConnell appeared to be freezing Two separate cases raised concerns about his overall health. But McConnell and his team dismissed these incidents as isolated, and told “Face the Nation” In October 2023 he “made a full recovery.”