Right after Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was found unconscious and needed emergency CPR, his wife reportedly left the country for China.
Just three days after the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican was rushed to the hospital after his cardiac arrest, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao flew to Beijing and met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. Photos published by Chinese state media show the two seated across from each other on June 17.
Chao holds no official government position, and has no diplomatic role in President Donald Trump’s administration. She resigned from her Cabinet post after January 6, 2021, and was not reappointed in Trump’s second term.
Why Elaine Chao hurried to Beijing, or what specifically she discussed there, has not been explained.
Twenty days after McConnell was found unconscious at his Washington, D.C., home, after emergency dispatch audio capturing a call for a cardiac arrest and “CPR in progress” leaked, his office has offered no details.
Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, warned on CNN that surviving CPR following a heart attack is only the beginning of a difficult road.
“If it does work and we can restart their heart and their heart is beating spontaneously, that begins a long road to recovery, even for the healthiest of patients,” Faust said. “So when you have a person who is elderly and who has other underlying medical conditions, it’s really concerning.”
Chao’s sudden Beijing trip adds another layer of unanswered questions.
Chao was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States at the age of 8. She has served in every Republican administration since Ronald Reagan, most recently as Trump’s Secretary of Transportation. Her family’s shipping company has significant business with China.
It is a relationship that drew scrutiny throughout her public career and prompted Trump himself to suggest, repeatedly, that the McConnells had too-close ties to Beijing.
McConnells office has offered little information.
“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,” their statement said.