It looks like there might be a date for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to return to the Senate.
The 84-year-old former Senate majority leader hasn’t been seen in public for more than 75 days after being admitted to a Louisville hospital in mid-June, and his absence from the public eye has inspired much speculation about his health.
On Thursday, fellow Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer told reporters that the plan is for McConnell to return to his office on Sept. 14 when the Senate is back in session.
“I have not talked to Leader McConnell. I’ve talked to his staff, many of whom are from my district originally. And they have all said it’s their goal for Senator McConnell to be here when the Senate comes in,” Comer told reporters.
This is a change from Wednesday, when a McConnell spokesperson told CNN there were “no scheduling announcements at this time.”
McConnell’s absence from office and lack of communication prompted Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) to declare in July that current Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) “has a responsibility to ensure that all of the members have the capacity to serve.”
McConnell attempted to quell suspicion by releasing a statement in July that explained he’d suffered a fall, but offered few details about his current condition.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages,” he wrote. “But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.”