A co-host on Fox News took an opportunity to urge Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) either get back to work or step down from his position, revealing the depth of frustration being experienced by Republicans in Congress and voters across the country over his almost three-month absence from the Senate due to severe health issues.
“If he does not come back in September, he needs to step down,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha went on to say during a recent episode of The Big Weekend Show. “How many months has it been since we even heard from him directly? I don’t want to see, you know, proof of life photos from a hospital bed anymore. He needs to get in front of a microphone and prove that he can do this job. And if he can’t he needs to step aside. Period.”
McConnell, who is 84-years-old, has been facing harsh scrutiny over his lengthy absence, which has caused speculation about his current condition and whether he is fit to serve and discharge the duties of his office. The Kentucky Republican, who is retiring from his post in 2027, was put in the hospital in mid-June, with his office only providing limited details about his overall condition at the time.
According to a report from The Independent, several weeks after his initial hospitalization, the senator provided an email update, revealing that he had been admitted following a nasty fall and then developed a mild case of pneumonia. He included a photo of himself in the hospital. Just last month, the former Senate majority leader was released from a rehabilitation facility, but still has yet to make a return to Capitol Hill.
“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” the senator went on to say in an August 6 statement. The Kentucky Republican, who has suffered from a number of health problems over the last several years, has faced repeated calls to be more truthful and upfront about the status of his health.
In July, Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear urged the senator to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.” Some of McConnell’s GOP colleagues have stated they spoke with him during his hospitalization, while many others say they are still in the dark about his condition.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said, “I don’t know anything,” when reporters asked him on August 5 if he had been updated on McConnell’s health and when he would return to Congress. A month before that, a reporter asked President Donald Trump how the Kentucky Republican was, to which he replied that he had “no idea.”
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“I certainly hope to see him in the Senate in the next few weeks,” Rep. James Comer, also a Republican from Kentucky, went on to say. “And if he’s not, there’ll be a reason why and the Senator will be able [to] explain that to the American people. But hopefully he’ll [be] back in two weeks.” Fox co-host Tomy Lahren is also skeptical about McConnell’s return. “I don’t know if that’s quite fair to the American people though that unelected staffers are running the show for Senator Mitch McConnell,” she said. “I think you’ve gotta play it fair here.”
Watch Trump sound off on McConnell here: