Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell was rushed to the hospital after the elderly lawmaker suffered a serious fall at a hotel, a spokesman for the senator said.
The Kentucky senator, who’s 81, was attending a private dinner in Washington on Wednesday when he tripped. He was admitted to a hospital for treatment, spokesman Doug Andres said.
“This evening, Leader McConnell tripped at a local hotel during a private dinner,” another spokesman, David Popp, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment.”
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Punchbowl News was the first outlet to report the incident, and its reporters identified D.C.’s Waldorf Astoria as the site of the fall.
D.C. Emergency Medical Services Spokesman Vito Maggiolo informed NBC News of an “adult male” transported from the Waldorf at 9:17 p.m, following reports of a fall. However, Maggiolo didn’t name the victim, citing privacy concerns. He also claimed not to know the extent of the injuries.
“Notes did not indicate patient condition,” Maggiolo told the network.
McConnell’s office did not provide additional detail on his condition or how long he may be absent from the Senate.
In 2019, the GOP leader tripped and fell at his home in Kentucky, suffering a shoulder fracture. At the time, he underwent surgery to repair the fracture in his shoulder. The Senate had just started a summer recess, and he worked from home for some weeks as he recovered.
First elected in 1984, McConnell in January became the longest-serving Senate leader when the new Congress convened, breaking the previous record of 16 years.
In a memoir, McConnell discussed his bout with polio in 1944, at the age of 2. Then, he spoke more about his polio recovery at the start of the pandemic. He described how his mother insisted that he stay off his feet as a toddler and worked with him through a determined physical therapy regime. He has acknowledged some difficulty in adulthood climbing stairs.
Children with polio often appear to recover before suffering late-in-life complications, as part of a condition called post-polio syndrome. Older adults sometimes fail to distinguish post-polio syndrome from other ailments associated with aging. In 2020, McConnell attracted attention for sporting visibly discolored hands on the Senate floor.
Critics have accused McConnell of using public funding to pay for his own health care. McConnell’s family reportedly used private donations, not public funding, to pay for his polio treatment.
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The Senate, where the average age is 65, has been without several members recently due to hospitalizations.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., 53, who suffered a near-fatal stroke during his campaign last year, was expected to remain out for some weeks as he received care for clinical depression. And Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., 89, said last week that she had been hospitalized to be treated for shingles.
The Democratic absences have proven a challenge for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is already navigating a very narrow 51-49 majority.
The Republicans, as the minority party, have had an easier time with intermittent absences. It was unclear if McConnell would be out on Thursday and whether that would have an effect on scheduled votes. South Dakota Sen. John Thune is the Senate’s No. 2 Republican.
The Horn editorial team and Associated Press contributed to this article.