McConnell Casts 1 Vote, Misses 2 More as Health Questions Deepen After 3-Month Absence
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Sep 18
McConnell Casts 1 Vote, Misses 2 More as Health Questions Deepen After 3-Month Absence
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Sep 18
Summary
McConnell, 84, appeared on Capitol Hill Thursday for a third day back, cast one procedural "yea" vote, then was not seen for two later votes before the Senate left town.
Video showed him being loaded into an SUV outside his Washington home that morning in a wheelchair, smiling and giving a thumbs-up, but he did not answer questions and no images emerged of him inside the Capitol.
That limited appearance followed a week in which aides largely kept him off camera after his return from a three-month absence tied to a June 14 hospitalization.
Wednesday's Agriculture Committee meeting sharpened concern: McConnell appeared confused when called to vote on the Farm Bill, needed prompting from aides and Republicans, spoke in a raspy voice, and left early.
The episode has fueled bipartisan online criticism over his condition and renewed calls for congressional term limits, while one doctor told the Daily Beast another fall could be fatal.