Day 23: McConnell's longest known hospitalization comes with few answers

Multiple McConnell allies have confirmed conversations with the Kentucky Senator, while information about his current health status remains unclear.

"I'm Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity.

Are you new here? Sign up for the free weekly newsletter or subscribe to support our mission and access behind-the-scenes content, podcasts, and in-depth stories reserved for paid subscribers.

It has now been more than three weeks since Sen. Mitch McConnell was admitted to the hospital- the same morning dispatch audio captured paramedics responding to a "cardiac arrest" call at his Washington, D.C. address, with a medic reporting "CPR in progress."

In all that time, his office has never said why he was hospitalized. And as of today, it still won't directly confirm whether he remains hospitalized at all.

What his office did provide was its latest statement: "Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session."

It's the same statement that was provided last week.

“CPR in progress”: Dispatch audio raises new questions about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization

McConnell’s team has said very little about his recent hospitalization, but newly obtained EMS records are adding context. “I’m Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity. Are you new here? Sign up for the free

Shay InformedShay McAlister

The push to show he's engaged

What the office did want us to see was a series of posts describing recent phone calls with the senator- a clear effort to counter the picture painted by that June 14 dispatch audio.

Conservative commentator Scott Jennings, a longtime McConnell ally, posted that he spoke with the senator by phone for just shy of 20 minutes and said McConnell is "still recovering in the hospital." Jennings said they discussed Iran, Ukraine, the unfolding situation in Maine, his visit to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, "and even a little bit of Senate history."

And Senate Whip John Barrasso spoke with McConnell by phone for roughly 20 minutes, according to New York Times reporter, covering topics including the Graham Platner scandal and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits.

Multiple accounts of a senator who is alert, engaged, and tracking the news.

What still hasn't been answered

But let's be clear about what all of this does- and doesn't- tell us.

We still don't know why McConnell was admitted on June 14. His office has never addressed the dispatch audio from that morning, in which a dispatcher called in a "cardiac arrest" and described someone at his address as "unconscious." We don't have direct confirmation of where he is recovering today- in the hospital or somewhere else. And we have no timeline for when Kentucky's senior senator- who last voted June 11- might return to work. The Senate is on recess for the Fourth of July until July 13th.

A recovery stretching past three weeks is significant for anyone, let alone an 84-year-old senator with a string of recent health scares. His office's statement notes he's working with staff "while the Senate is out of session"- but the Senate won't be out forever, and when it returns, Kentucky will still be down a vote until he's back.

McConnell has already announced he won't seek re-election, and his term runs through January. Until then, the questions stay the same: What happened on the morning of June 14? What is he being treated for? Where is he now and when will he be able to do the job Kentuckians elected him to do?

Like what you see? Learn more about Shay Informed here! This is honest journalism with compassion and clarity.