Adding to the list of notable absences for the 84 year old Senator, Sen. Mitch McConnell was billed as the featured guest at the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Washington fly-in reception Wednesday evening. He never showed up.
In his place came Terry Carmack, the Kentucky Republican’s chief of staff, along with a staffer often seen pushing the senator’s wheelchair. As one account put it, “the featured guest was not actually featured at the event.” McConnell’s office did not respond to inquiries about the absence, and a spokesperson declined to confirm who attended in his stead. No explanation at all has been offered. (You might want to take a look at How Washington Actually Works: For Dummies – As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases)
One Washington insider likened the situation to Weekend at Bernie’s when asked about the entire situation. “It’s almost like Dianne Feinstein all over again, it’s abuse at this point”.
The no show landed in the senator’s second week back at the Capitol after one of the longest absences of his four decades in the Senate. McConnell, 84, fell at his Washington home on June 14 and briefly lost consciousness. His last vote before the fall came on June 11. He was hospitalized for nearly a month, developed what his office described as “mild pneumonia”, moved to a rehabilitation center in July, and was discharged on August 6 to continue physical therapy at home. He did not return to the Capitol until September 14, 92 days later.
During that stretch he missed roughly 60 consecutive roll call votes. The attending physician of Congress has documented that McConnell “has experienced several falls throughout the year,” attributing them to his post polio condition. McConnell contracted polio as a child.
The absence carried real legislative weight. Republicans hold a 12-11 working margin on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and during an August markup his proxy vote could not advance the farm bill to the full chamber, stalling it until he returned. His first vote back was to confirm a district judge for the Southern District of Ohio; that evening he helped secure cloture on a judicial nominee, 47-46.
“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier,” McConnell said on his return. He added that he had assured leadership he would “do my best to be present for tough votes when our conference needs me.”
His public appearances since have drawn a lot of scrutiny. Reporters noted that he responded at the wrong moment during an Agriculture Committee vote on the farm bill, and video circulated of him raising a peace sign to reporters rather than answering questions.
McConnell announced last year that he would not seek reelection. He retires at the end of this term, closing out more than 40 years in the Senate, including a record run as Senate Republican leader from 2007 to 2025.
Elizabeth is The Bay City Beacon’s correspondent in Washington D.C. where she covers national politics and events in the DMV.
