šØ JUST IN: Mitch McConnellās office has released a statement and PHOTO of the Senator sitting in his hospital bed confirming he will NOT be on the Senate floor anytime soon
Hey McConnell: you do not OWN that Senate seat. If you canāt do your job, RESIGN.
Kentuckians deserve their representation. And youāre not representing them.
Iām sorry youāre in bad shape, but Kentuckians should not be burdened by your inability to do the job you were elected to do.
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FULL STATEMENT FROM McCONNELLāS OFFICE:
āTo my fellow Kentuckians āĀ
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When you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealthās longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that Iād keep showing up to fight for you every day. And over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.
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You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct ā I canāt help it.
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But at the same time, Iāve had more than my share of experience with physical vulnerabilities. Surviving childhood polio meant spending my entire life with mobility challenges. They havenāt exactly gotten easier to manage with age. And last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital.
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My doctors have confirmed that I didnāt break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didnāt have a heart attack or a stroke. I donāt have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, Iāve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.
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I can assure you that Iāve been a good patient. At my age, I tend to do what my doctors tell me to do. Iāve submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident. And Iām continuing to do everything they ask to speed my recovery. In fact, with signs of continued progress, Iāve been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where Iāll keep regaining my strength.
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As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I wonāt be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, Iām not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you. Iāve been working closely with my legislative staff on current issues, and with my Kentucky team who help me provide timely constituent services across our Commonwealth. Iāve also been keeping in touch with my Senate colleagues on the appropriations process, midterm politics, and everything in between.
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Youāre right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. And part of my decision to retire at the end of my termĀ this comingĀ January was being honest about theĀ demands of Senate work.Ā But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.
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Iāll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible. And Iāll keep you posted on the progress of my recovery. Until then, Iām so grateful for your prayers and well wishes.