Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, fell at a hotel in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night, sustaining a concussion. He is currently receiving concussion treatment and is being monitored at a hospital.
“Leader McConnell tripped at a dinner event Wednesday evening and has been admitted to the hospital and is being treated for a concussion. He is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days of observation and treatment,” David Popp, communications director for McConnell, said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.
“The Leader is grateful to the medical professionals for their care and to his colleagues for their warm wishes,” the statement said.
According to someone who knows the situation, the fall occurred at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, DC, which was initially the Trump International Hotel.
Another individual knowledgeable of the situation claimed that McConnell was present at a function for the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC supporting him.
The 81-year-old is the longest-serving Republican leader in the Senate. It is renowned for aiding the party in achieving important goals, such as packing the Supreme Court with conservative justices, implementing Trump-era tax cuts, and repeatedly impeding the legislative agenda of Democrats. His hospitalization this week coincides with the Senate’s razor-thin 51-49 Democratic majority, which controls the chamber.
Dianne Feinstein of California and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, both Democrats, have recently been admitted to hospitals for shingles and therapy for depression, respectively. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have publicly wished McConnell luck.
In his opening remarks on the Senate floor on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wished McConnell a “speedy and thorough recovery” and mentioned that he had contacted McConnell that morning and spoken briefly with his staff.
Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader in the House of Representatives, expressed his wish for a “rapid and a full and speedy recovery,” repeated by John Thune, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate. The minority leader injured his shoulder after falling at his Kentucky home in 2019.
