We do have some breaking
news to report concerning news.
That is that Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell pictured
there just appeared to freeze
during his weekly press conference.
About halfway
through a sentence as he was speaking.
Our Manu Raju was in the room
as this happened in Monroe.
I wonder if you could describe
what you saw
and what you're hearing
now from McConnell's office.
Yeah, Mitch McConnell,
this is every weekday.
He gives a
weekly press conference talks
to reporters about the issues of the day.
And he began his remarks,
his opening remarks,
talking about the legislative business
that is happening
in the United States Senate.
Then he abruptly froze,
causing some
questions, some alarm
among some of his colleagues,
and the suggestion that perhaps
they should end
the press conference hastily
and he later went back to his office
for some time,
then returned to answer some questions.
Ultimately, he said he was fine,
but this is the moment
in which he froze in the middle
of his opening remarks.
As to
finishing the NDAA
this week has been
good bipartisan cooperation
and a string of
wins during the
Mitch
this chat.
Anything else you want to say?
I'm sure we'll go back to you.
If you were to say
anything else to the press
Go ahead, John.
Let's go back to you.
Go ahead, John.
Now, those in the senator
who was initially speaking to him
was Senator John Barrasso,
who is a
physician, asked him
if he was okay
and want to continue
on with that press conference.
Recall.
There has been a number of concerns
about Senator McConnell's health.
He is. 81 years old.
Earlier this year, he suffered a fall
hit his head
while at an event in a Washington hotel.
He was later hospitalized.
For some time,
he was diagnosed with the concussion
as well as some broken ribs.
He's had some walking issues for
much of his life,
given that he had
polio as a child
that he later recovered from
and then has has
had some incidents of him
in recent years
of tripping and falling,
including earlier this year
in that one incident.
So I asked the leader
whether or not
this was related to that concussion
that he suffered earlier this year.
He said, no, I am fine.
He did not elaborate at all,
but he did continue
the press conference, did
answer some questions,
including about impeachment,
to talk about potentially impeaching
Joe Biden in the U.S.
House, as well as the plea deal
with Hunter Biden that collapsed,
as well as some other
discussions, questions
about the appropriations
process and spending legislation
that's happening.
So he was able to answer
some of those questions.
But in just observing McConnell in recent
weeks, he's been a little bit
speaking much slower.
He's not as speaking
as he's in recent press conferences.
He's been thinking with more of a
hushed tone, not as
loud of a voice as he has had
in the past.
At one point
earlier this year, just a few weeks ago,
he was unable to hear questions
that were being asked to him
that were clearly audible
among some of the reporters were asking
at his weekly press conference.
So here, obviously,
a concerning situation
but as you can hear there, Jim,
the leader says he's fine and he's
he said he can do his job
well, deeply
concerning that pause,
as you saw it on camera
there, lasted an uncomfortable
length of time.
As you mentioned, Senator
John Barrasso and MD himself.
But do we know if the minority leader
received
any medical attention following this
It doesn't seem that way
mean it was pretty quick
from the time
he left the press conference
for the time that he returned
to answer questions.
Each of those senators
were pictured there with him,
were answering
or giving their own opening statements
before the leader came back
to answer
about five questions
or so from reporters.
So there was not any time
to get any sort of medical,
medical and see
any doctor
or anyone to come
in, diagnose him with anything here.
But it's very clear that that obviously
some this
this could potentially be related
to all of the aftereffects
of that concussion earlier this year.
But the senator says
he's fine, even as a number of senators
that are obviously concerned about that
unusual moment
here in the halls of the Senate.