Republican Kentucky Rep. Brett Guthrie insinuated that Republican Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell — absent from public for weeks following a medical emergency — isn’t even in Washington, D.C.
In a video posted to X by Courier Journal state politics reporter Keely Doll, Guthrie said he has contacted people on Mitch McConnell’s staff and exchanged text messages with the senator, but has not spoken with him directly by phone. (RELATED: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Demands Mitch McConnell Publicly Disclose Health Status)
Guthrie added that he understood McConnell had spoken with John Thune “yesterday, or the day before,” as well as John Barrasso and others.
Congressman Brett Guthrie said he’s texted with Senator Mitch McConnell but has not spoken with him on the phone.
“I do believe he’s going to recover and I hope he’s back in Washington soon,” Guthrie told reporters today in Kentucky. “We need him back.” pic.twitter.com/fsSFzeXhIh
— Keely Doll (@keely_doll) July 8, 2026
While discussing McConnell’s recovery, Guthrie, who also serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, made remarks that appeared to conflict with reports that the senator has remained hospitalized in Washington, D.C., since June 14.
“I hope he recovers. He’s been a mentor of mine and a friend of mine since I ran for the state Senate a few years ago. And so my thoughts and prayers are with him. I do believe he’s going to recover, and I hope he’s back in Washington soon. We need him back,” Guthrie said.
McConnell was taken to George Washington University Hospital on June 14, according to a Daily Mail report, and his office has repeatedly declined to disclose the cause of his hospitalization.
When asked about Guthrie’s remarks and his insinuation that McConnell was not currently in the nation’s capital, a spokesperson for the Committee on Energy and Commerce told the Daily Caller that Guthrie was referring to McConnell’s return to the Senate floor, not his physical location.
“Back on the floor, back in Washington, or like back in the Senate, not in the hospital,” the spokesperson said.
When asked whether Guthrie had any additional information about McConnell’s condition to share, the spokesperson told the Caller, “I do not.”
McConnell has remained hospitalized since June 14 after first responders found him unconscious at his Washington, D.C., home and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) following a cardiac arrest. (RELATED: We Asked Mitch McConnell’s Staff About His Health. This Is What They Told Us)
An EMS dispatch call released last Wednesday, July 1, shows emergency crews were dispatched to McConnell’s residence at 8:36 a.m. on June 14 for a report of an “unconscious” person. After an Advanced Life Support crew arrived, responders determined the medical emergency was a cardiac arrest.
We all have one question: What is going on with Mitch McConnell? pic.twitter.com/boaWg06gaT
— Ashley Brasfield (@BrasfieldAshley) July 8, 2026
A spokesperson for McConnell told the Caller that the senator is “working closely with his staff” as he remains in the hospital.
The 83-year-old has faced a series of health setbacks in recent years: a fall in the Russell Senate Building, a concussion in 2023, a hospitalization earlier this year for flu-like symptoms, and two widely publicized on-camera freezing episodes. (RELATED: Email Suggests Mitch McConnell Health Response Is Coordinated Effort)
He announced in 2024 that he would step down as Senate Republican leader and later confirmed he would not seek reelection when his current term ends in January 2027.