McConnell Suffered Concussion From Fall, Will Remain in Hospital a Few Days: Senator’s Office

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) listen during the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony to honor the merchant mariners of World War II in Washington on May 18, 2022. Oliver Contreras/Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was hospitalized for a concussion after falling at a Washington hotel, his office said on Thursday.

David Popp, Communications Director for the Senate Republican leader, issued a statement on March 9 to update the senator’s condition:

“Leader McConnell tripped at a dinner event Wednesday evening and has been admitted to the hospital and is being treated for a concussion,” Popp said, according to the senator’s website.

“He is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days of observation and treatment. The Leader is grateful to the medical professionals for their care and to his colleagues for their warm wishes.”

The senator was hospitalized on March 8 after taking a fall in a hotel in Washington, as The Epoch Times previously reported.

The 81-year-old senator stumbled while attending a private dinner, according to his spokesperson.

“This evening, Leader McConnell tripped at a local hotel during a private dinner. He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment,” Popp said without providing further details.

McConnell, the Senate’s longest-serving GOP leader, had been at an event at the Waldorf Astoria, according to Punchbowl News.

In 2019, the senator was hospitalized with a fractured shoulder, following a fall in his Kentucky house.

A representative for McConnell stated at the time that he had tripped on the outdoor patio of his home in Louisville and needed medical attention.

Fellow longtime member of the upper chamber of Congress, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), was only recently released from the hospital, according to a March 7 announcement. She was being treated for shingles, and her representatives have not yet confirmed when she will return to Washington.

“I continue receiving treatment and look forward to returning to the Senate as soon as possible,” Feinstein, 89, said on Twitter.

With her absence, along with that of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Democrats are down to 49 votes in the upper chamber.

Fetterman checked himself in at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression on Feb. 15, just over a month after taking up his position as Pennsylvania’s senator.

Officially, Democrats control the Senate by a narrow 51–49 margin, meaning that even one or two absences can impact whether contentious legislation can pass.

Several California Democrats are vying to succeed Feinstein, the longest-serving female senator, after she announced she would not run for reelection to the Senate seat she has held since 1992.

McConnell has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 1985.