Updated

Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 9

GOP Rep. Stutzman Says He Does Not Know if 84-Year-Old McConnell Is Alive After 3 Weeks

Updated

Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 9

GOP Rep. Stutzman Says He Does Not Know if 84-Year-Old McConnell Is Alive After 3 Weeks

Q: Why did his wife say a cardiac arrest 'did not warrant an immediate return' from her high-profile trip to China?

She said it because, according to her spokesperson, Mitch McConnell’s condition at the time did not require her to cut short a long-planned trip to China. The explanation given publicly was that Chao was already in China on a prearranged visit tied to her family’s philanthropic work. Her spokesperson said the senator’s health “did not warrant an immediate return to the US,” and Chao therefore continued parts of the trip, including meetings in Beijing with Chinese officials and other contacts, before later returning to the United States. What remains unclear is the medical basis for that judgment. McConnell had suffered a cardiac arrest on June 14 and was hospitalized after being found unconscious and receiving CPR, but his office has released only limited updates. Chao’s team has not provided a fuller explanation of what information she had about his condition when she decided not to return immediately. So the stated reason was not that the trip was more important than his health, but that, based on the information available to her side, his condition was judged stable enough that an immediate departure was unnecessary. Because official details about McConnell’s condition have been sparse, that explanation has drawn scrutiny and questions.

3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 9

Marlin Stutzman said on NewsNation he does not know whether Mitch McConnell is alive, saying the 84-year-old senator is "obviously not doing well" after three weeks of silence.
The Indiana Republican tied that uncertainty to secrecy around McConnell’s hospitalization, pressing his team for answers and saying Kentucky’s governor and constituents deserve an update.
McConnell has been out of public view since June 14, when EMS responders gave him CPR after he was found unconscious at his Washington home; aides later said he was still working but would not vote.
Stutzman warned the absence could hurt Republicans when Congress returns July 13, with the party holding only a six-seat Senate edge while questions also swirl over Elaine Chao’s delayed return from China.