Mitch McConnell health update draws silence from Senate doctor
Dr. Brian Monahan declined to discuss Mitch McConnell after his office issued a statement on the senator’s recovery from a June fall.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
A new Mitch McConnell health update landed Monday with a fresh photo, a statement about his recovery and one very tight-lipped Senate doctor, according to TMZ.
Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician for the U.S. Congress and the Supreme Court, was approached by a TMZ photographer outside George Washington Hospital after picking up lunch Monday. Asked about McConnell, Monahan did not offer details and said he had “no information,” TMZ reported.
That answer stood out because, according to TMZ, Monahan’s office had issued a lengthy statement earlier Monday addressing McConnell’s recovery from a fall at his home in June.
What did Mitch McConnell say about his health?
McConnell released a new photo Monday and said he is still trying to return to his normal work rhythm. In the statement shared by TMZ, the senator said, “I'm still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors' orders.”
The photo shows McConnell seated in a geriatric chair beside his wife, Elaine Chao, TMZ reported. The outlet said the image appears to have been taken at the rehabilitation center where McConnell has been recovering.
The update follows an earlier photo released two weeks ago. TMZ reported that online observers scrutinized that first image, with some claiming it looked fake.
Why was the doctor being questioned?
Monahan’s role makes his silence notable. As attending physician to Congress and the Supreme Court, he is the doctor tied to official medical communications for top federal officials, including McConnell’s latest recovery statement, according to TMZ.
When the TMZ photographer pressed him about the senator and the medical guidance referenced in McConnell’s statement, Monahan did not discuss the details. The exchange, according to TMZ, stayed light in spots: the doctor also said he did not know what cold cuts were in the Subway sandwich he had just bought.
TMZ reported that the latest McConnell photo has also drawn online skepticism, with some users calling it artificial intelligence and mocking it. The outlet did not report any confirmation that the image was altered.
McConnell’s public message, as reported by TMZ, framed his current status as an ongoing recovery with physical therapy under doctors’ orders. No additional medical timeline was provided in the report.
For now, the senator has put out another image and a statement saying he is working toward a fuller schedule. The doctor connected to the official health statement, meanwhile, did not add more when questioned in person Monday.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.