- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is “medically clear” to continue working, the US Congress doctor said, after the Kentucky Republican froze during a news conference.
- “Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon during concussion recovery and may also be expected as a result of dehydration,” said Dr. Brian Monahan in a letter.
- McConnell, 81, suffered a concussion after a fall in March.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is “medically clear” to continue working, the US Congress’s attending physician said, a day after the Kentucky Republican froze during a news conference for the second time this summer.
“Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon during concussion recovery and may also be expected as a result of dehydration,” said Dr. Brian Monahan in a letter delivered from McConnell’s office Thursday.
The doctor was referring to a concussion that McConnell, 81, suffered in March after a fall at a political fundraiser.
Monahan said he “consulted with Chief McConnell and consulted with his neurology team” and gave him the all-clear after “evaluating yesterday’s incident.”
That incident occurred at the start of a news conference Wednesday afternoon in Covington, Kentucky, when McConnell abruptly stopped speaking and stared straight ahead for about 30 seconds.
He did not appear to respond when a staff member approached him and asked him if he had heard a reporter’s question. McConnell was asked about his thoughts on re-election.
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The incident was reminiscent of a similar health crisis in July, when McConnell suddenly froze and was briefly unable to speak at a news conference in Washington, DC
But Monahan said in Thursday’s letter that he “informed Chief McConnell that for medical reasons it was clear to him to continue his schedule as planned.”
A McConnell aide had previously described the failure in Covington as a result of the senator feeling “temporarily dazed.”
McConnell took part In a discussion with Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., later Wednesday evening, his office confirmed to CNBC.
McConnell’s health is a growing concern for some of his Senate colleagues, according to Politico, which reported that some GOP members are considering whether to force a special conference on the Republican leader’s recent events.