Senator (Opthalmologist) Rand Paul on Tuesday told a group of reporters that fellow Kentucky Senator and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s freeze-up didn’t look like dehydration.
“I’ve practiced medicine for 25 years, and it doesn’t look like dehydration to me,” he told a group of reporters Tuesday. “It looks like a focal neurologic event.”
Also on Tuesday, McConnell’s office released a letter from the Capitol’s attending physician, Dr. Brian Monohan, regarding McConnell’s medical exam that stated, “There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.”
Republicans Showing Disunity Over McConnell’s Health
There are other Republican senators just asking questions with concerns for McConnell’s health.
Senator Josh Hawley (Missouri): “I’ve just been home for a month, I was asked all over the state, I mean all over the state, about the minority leader,” Hawley said. “And this was before the most recent episode, and then absolutely after it.”
Not only is Hawley concerned about President Biden’s health, he’s “concerned about the minority leader’s health. You can’t have it both ways.”
Hawley voted against McConnell for the leadership position, and said 2024 is “a big election … I hope we’ll be able to be laser focused on retaking the Senate and we won’t have a lot of distractions.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama): Tommy is also concerned about retaking the Senate next year, noting the 2024 election “is gonna be tough for anyone, but if you’re the leader, it’s double.”
Defending Mitch
Senator John Cornyn (Texas): “We’ll have [a meeting] tomorrow at lunch where I imagine this will be discussed. I know Sen. McConnell wants to be more transparent about this.” Cornyn is considered a possible successor as leader.
Senator John Thune (South Dakota): “He has my full support and he’ll have the support of the conference,” said Thune.
Riding the Fence (Shocker!)
Senator Ted Cruz (Texas): Cruz said he is “sure we’ll have discussions, because all of us are concerned about him.”