McConnell Released From Inpatient Therapy Weeks After Concussion

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been released home after completing inpatient physical therapy at a rehabilitation facility, following a concussion he suffered earlier this month.

The 81-year-old senator had a fall at a private dinner for the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, on March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington. After the fall, McConnell was admitted to hospital where he was treated for a concussion and a minor rib fracture.

He was discharged from the hospital on March 13 and subsequently attended a separate facility for inpatient physical therapy at the advice of his physician.

“I want to sincerely thank everyone for all the kind wishes,“ McConnell said in a statement on Saturday. ”I’m happy to say I finished inpatient physical therapy earlier today and I’m glad to be home.

It marked the first statement McConnell issued himself since he fell.

“I’m going to follow the advice of my physical therapists and spend the next few days working for Kentuckians and the Republican Conference from home,“ he added. ”I’m in frequent touch with my Senate colleagues and my staff. I look forward to returning in person to the Senate soon.”

McConnell, who earlier this year became the Senate’s longest-serving GOP leader, didn’t specify when exactly he would return to the chamber.

He spoke with members of his leadership team earlier this week. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said they spoke to McConnell in a brief phone call.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., accompanied by (L-R) Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, listen to a question during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this file photo. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

“We just kind of checked in and touched gloves. He wanted to convey his appreciation for the way we’ve been working with his staff,” Thune told reporters at the time.

“He’s chomping at the bit. Can’t wait to get back. I said, ‘Well, don’t be in a big hurry, ‘cause we’re not doing anything here,’” Cornyn told reporters of the call.

Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said at the time they had been texting McConnell and expressed that he was well.