McConnell revealed a post-polio condition that resulted in a fall and hospital stay
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Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., nearly a month after being hospitalized, revealed what exactly happened to keep him out of the Senate.
In a lengthy statement released Sunday evening, McConnell said his battle with polio stems from a fall he suffered last month that landed him in the hospital. “He fainted for a while,” he said in an open letter to Kentuckians, and during his recovery he was attacked with “a little pneumonia.”
“My doctors confirmed that I didn't break any bones or take a serious hit,” said McConnell. “I haven't had a heart attack or a stroke. I don't have abscesses or bleeding.”
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Mitch McConnell said he is recovering after a fall at home left him briefly unconscious and hospitalized for several weeks, where he contracted pneumonia again. The senator said the doctors determined that he had broken bones, concussion, heart failure, stroke, tumors and bleeding, but he will not return to the Senate floor to vote as he continues to receive treatment at a rehabilitation center. His statement included a photo of McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao. (Mitch McConnell's Office)
However, when he will return to the Senate remains a mystery, something McConnell himself admits.
“As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I will not be able to return to the Senate floor to vote at this time,” said McConnell. “But rest assured that, for the time being, I am not taking a break from the business of the Senate which is important to you.”
His attending physician noted that McConnell, “experienced several falls throughout the year caused by his post-polio condition.”
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“He was admitted to the hospital four weeks ago after falling at home and sustaining minor injuries,” McConnell's doctor said.
“A thorough examination by a multidisciplinary team found that he had no fracture, heart failure, stroke, tumor, or bleeding,” his doctor continued. “Early in his hospitalization, he developed pneumonia, which responded quickly to antibiotic treatment.”
The latest update on the health of the longtime lawmaker comes after the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine on Saturday night.
McConnell's absence, coupled with Graham's shocking death, leaves the Senate down two crucial votes amid a dead-end runner who will wrap up key parts of President Donald Trump's July and early August agenda.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, speaks to reporters on Air Force One with President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick en route back to Washington, DC, on Jan. 4, 2026. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
It also comes after three weeks of speculation as to why the Senate GOP's longest-serving leader in history was sidelined.
His office for several weeks did not reveal his true condition, or explain how he ended up in the hospital. That sparked a firestorm on the Internet that suggested McConnell was in a vegetative state.
Adding to the ugly trickery is a leak of emergency dispatch audio from June 14, the day he was admitted to the hospital, which revealed the longtime Senate Republican was “unconscious” and may have suffered a heart attack.
Further exacerbating the situation was a trip by his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, to China just days after he was admitted to the hospital. Chao's office previously told Fox News Digital that, “The clerk was on a long-planned trip to China to support relief efforts for his family.”
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“On this trip, he met a number of people, including the American ambassador,” said his office. “The health of the senator did not allow him to return to the US immediately”
McConnell's statement did not directly address much of the speculation surrounding his hospitalization. But, he vowed to return to the Senate when he was able.
“You are right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term next January was to be honest about the demands of Senate work,” McConnell said. “But I still have some unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have a great intention to complete the task you have chosen for me.”
