Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) appeared to freeze for 30 seconds while speaking at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday, marking the second time in as many months that McConnell has frozen while giving public remarks.
At the Kentucky event, the 81-year-old senator froze when he was asked whether he plans to run for reelection. An aide walked up to McConnell and asked, “Did you hear the question?” When the senate minority leader failed to respond, the aide said, “We’re going to need a minute.”
After a moment, McConnell responded to aides and was able to continue on with the press conference.
The incident comes after McConnell was escorted away from the press podium on Capitol Hill last month after he suddenly froze for a prolonged period. He stopped speaking in mid-sentence and stared into space for about 30 seconds, leading other senators to step in and check on him.
"Do you want to say anything else to the press?" Republican senator John Barrasso, the third-ranking Republican and a doctor, whispered to him before shuffling him away from reporters.
Barrasso walked with McConnell for a few minutes while other senators continued to conduct the press conference. McConnell returned to address reporters, assuring them, "I'm fine."
McConnell fell at an event in Washington, D.C., back in March, leaving him with head trauma that required hospitalization. He received treatment for a concussion and was discharged five days later.
McConnell’s health has been part of the larger conversation lawmakers have had about the need for a new generation of leadership, amid concerns about the health and mental fitness of lawmakers in their 80s and 90s.
Many Republicans have questioned the mental fitness of 90-year-old Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has a brain condition called Ramsay Hunt syndrome due to complications during her recovery from shingles. Feinstein relies on aides to perform the basic duties of her job, sources told the New York Times in May.
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