KY Governor, Republicans Still In Dark Over McConnell’s Condition
It’s been nearly a month since former GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell has been seen in public following a reported “cardiac arrest” incident that supposedly required CPR.
And while some Republican officials and elected leaders say they have spoken to the Kentucky GOP stalwart in recent days, several key officials haven’t heard a word about his condition.
Like the president of the United States, and Andy Beshear, the Democrat governor of the Bluegrass State.
And now, weeks after the reported June 14 hospitalization of McConnell, people are beginning to demand answers.
Scott Jennings, a former senior adviser to Mitch McConnell and White House official during George W. Bush’s presidency, shared on Wednesday that he spoke with McConnell for nearly 20 minutes about various topics.
But that did little to satisfy concerns.
Charles Booker, the Democratic nominee in the U.S. Senate race to replace McConnell, responded in a social media post Thursday: “We don’t need to hear from Scott Jennings.”
He added: Kentuckians deserve to hear directly from Mitch McConnell. Transparency is the right thing to do.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said in an online post Thursday, “If McConnell is in as bad a shape as Biden ever was — or worse — he needs to step aside. This charade can’t continue.”
Beshear sent McConnell a letter earlier this week demanding an update on his condition. As of this writing, it’s not clear if McConnell’s office has responded.
That said, there are others who are stepping up to defend McConnell, even in the absence of hearing from him publicly.
“Nobody loves the U.S. Senate more than Mitch McConnell,” Republican consultant Tres Watson told Spectrum News.
“Nobody would be scraping and clawing and working his way to get back as hard as Sen. McConnell,” Watson continued.
“I’m sure that he will get back and fill out the rest of his term and do all of the duties that the voters in Kentucky have elected him to do,” he said, without clarifying whether or not he had actually been in contact with McConnell.
Watson also brushed off Beshear’s letter to the senior Kentucky senator seeking an update on his condition.
“It’s performative,” Watson told the outlet.
“I don’t think the senator’s office is scurrying around because they’ve heard from Andy Beshear and Charles Booker now that they have to give him an update on his health,” he added.
“I don’t believe that’s a thing. It’s all performative, done for politics.”
However, even Republican lawmakers are beginning to question reports that McConnell is improving and speaking to others.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., said Thursday that he did not know whether McConnell was even alive, criticizing the limited public information released about the Kentucky senator’s condition after nearly a month of hospitalization, NewsNation reported.
“I have not heard from him, and I think it’s a question that Republicans should be asking because he does represent the state of Kentucky,” Stutzman said on the network’s a.m. show, “Morning in America.”
“His constituents deserve answers where he is at,” he said.
“I think that the governor of Kentucky has every right to ask after three weeks if no one has said anything,” Stutzman added.
The Indiana lawmaker went on to say that Republicans should be demanding information about McConnell and hold people accountable for the lack of information.
“As a Republican, I think we need to hold our own party accountable, so the fact that we haven’t heard anything really from Sen. McConnell is very discouraging and concerning,” he said.
Stutzman also questioned whether or not McConnell has even survived his reported medical emergency.
“Do you know that he’s alive? I don’t,” Stutzman said.
“The things that I’ve heard and seen from some friends are that he’s obviously not doing well, but I don’t know if he’s alive or has passed away,” he told NewsNation.
Fox News DRAMA - Maria Bartiromo's Attorney Drops Bombshell After 'Firing'
When Fox announced that Maria Bartiromo was gone after more than twelve years, the statement was a masterpiece of saying nothing: thanks for the work, best of luck on the next chapter, no reason given. Corporate language that smooth usually exists to cover something rougher underneath. The reporting that followed suggests it did.
Here is the reconstructed sequence, and it should be read as the reporting of Status and Puck’s Dylan Byers rather than confirmed fact — Bartiromo’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has since pushed back on the “fired” characterization, and the full story isn’t settled. With that caveat squarely in place: Bartiromo reportedly wanted to pursue a story tying China to 2020 election-security questions. For Fox that subject is radioactive. The network paid a historic settlement to Dominion Voting Systems over its 2020 coverage and still faces active Smartmatic litigation on the same ground. A Fox Business executive reportedly sent written guidance steering staff away from the topic, and most fell in line.
Bartiromo didn’t. According to the reporting, when Trump or a White House aide asked why Fox wasn’t covering the story, she confirmed her bosses had blocked it — and then forwarded the internal message proving it. Fox reportedly learned of the leak, concluded it violated her employment agreement, and pulled her off the air August 9.
Reports subsequently said she was “fired.” But according to her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, that’s not the case at all:
For many years, Maria Bartiromo hosted three number one rated television shows on Fox channels. She has been, without question, one of the hardest working journalists throughout her award winning career.
The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false. Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise. Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth.
We’ll keep you updated on this.
When Fox announced that Maria Bartiromo was gone after more than twelve years, the statement was a masterpiece of saying nothing: thanks for the work, best of luck on the next chapter, no reason given. Corporate language that smooth usually exists to cover something rougher underneath. The reporting that followed suggests it did.
Here is the reconstructed sequence, and it should be read as the reporting of Status and Puck’s Dylan Byers rather than confirmed fact — Bartiromo’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has since pushed back on the “fired” characterization, and the full story isn’t settled. With that caveat squarely in place: Bartiromo reportedly wanted to pursue a story tying China to 2020 election-security questions. For Fox that subject is radioactive. The network paid a historic settlement to Dominion Voting Systems over its 2020 coverage and still faces active Smartmatic litigation on the same ground. A Fox Business executive reportedly sent written guidance steering staff away from the topic, and most fell in line.
Bartiromo didn’t. According to the reporting, when Trump or a White House aide asked why Fox wasn’t covering the story, she confirmed her bosses had blocked it — and then forwarded the internal message proving it. Fox reportedly learned of the leak, concluded it violated her employment agreement, and pulled her off the air August 9.
Reports subsequently said she was “fired.” But according to her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, that’s not the case at all:
For many years, Maria Bartiromo hosted three number one rated television shows on Fox channels. She has been, without question, one of the hardest working journalists throughout her award winning career.
The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false. Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise. Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth.
We’ll keep you updated on this.
