Doctor medically CLEARS Mitch McConnell, 81, to keep working after second freeze – as Biden defends his ‘friend’ and rejects claims Senate Minority Leader isn’t up to the job
- The Capitol physician cleared Mitch McConnell to continue his normal schedule
- Comes just 24 hours after McConnell’s 30-second freeze on Wednesday
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Mitch McConnell is medically cleared to continue working despite suffering his second freeze-up in a month amid worries he is no longer fit to continue serving as Republican Senate Leader.
The 81-year-old consulted with Capitol Physician Dr. Brian Monahan following the worrisome incident, according to a press release Thursday where the doctor said McConnell is ‘medically cleared’ to continue his usual work.
Dr. Monahan said it’s normal to experience lightheadedness in concussion recovery. He also said the episode could be attributed to dehydration.
The very swift all-clear comes as reports emerge that a handful of Republican senators are discussing holding a meeting amid McConnell’s declining health. It does not appear that Party leadership is involved in these alleged talks.
At least a dozen GOP offices said when reached by DailyMail.com that they are not aware of any meetings on the topic.
President Joe Biden said Thursday that he spoke with his ‘friend’ after the latest public freeze.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze for about 30 seconds Wednesday while answering questions from reporters in Kentucky, in another troubling on-camera appearance bolstering concerns over his age, health and fitness for office
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‘He was his old self on the telephone,’ Biden, 80, said. ‘It’s not at all unusual to have the response that sometimes happens to Mitch when you’ve had a severe concussion.’
McConnell fell and hit his head in March while at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C. That tumble led to a hospitalization where he was diagnosed with a concussion and broken ribs.
The Kentucky Republican’s recovery was six weeks for that fall.
Since then, he has experienced two freezes during press conferences where he required assistance to be led away from the podium.
‘I have consulted with Leader McConnell and conferred with his neurology team,’ Dr. Monahan said in the statement indicating he did not conduct his own evaluation of McConnell.
He added: ‘I have informed Leader McConnell that he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned.’
The first fall happened in late July, when McConnell was speaking with other lawmakers during a press conference outside the Senate Chamber. He was asked about his future plans before freezing for several seconds without saying anything.
Now, just a bit over a month later, an eerily similar situation happened in Covington, Kentucky when a reporter asked McConnell if he plans to run for reelection in 2026 – prompting a near 30-second freeze where an aide stepped in to ask people to ‘speak up.’
