McConnell’s health has been a mystery as of late. Hardly anyone really knows what’s going on.
And Mitch McConnell received a dire letter that he can’t ignore.
Kentucky Democrat Governor Andy Beshear has decided the time is right to demand answers from Republican Senator Mitch McConnell about the senator’s health. In a letter delivered Monday, Beshear told McConnell to either prove he can still do the job or step aside.
“I am addressing this letter to Senator McConnell under the assumption that he is capable of reading and responding verbally, and not incapacitated by means of consciousness or cognition,” the governor’s letter said, according to CNN.
“If the Senator is unable to respond for either of those or other conditions, consider this letter a demand for his Senate staff to be honest and transparent with the people of Kentucky.”
McConnell’s office responded the same day. The senator wants to return to work, they said, but can’t. That’s because doctors have not cleared him to exit the rehabilitation facility.
That statement did little to satisfy the governor.
Beshear pressed harder in the letter. He argued that a physician’s note falls short of what the public deserves.
“Even the attending physician’s written statement does not discuss your actual condition, including whether you can speak, reason, or carry out your duties as a senator,” the governor stated.
“I understand anyone’s desire for privacy, but when you run for office and serve as one of a state’s two US senators, you willingly abdicate much of your personal privacy.”
The governor then issued a direct challenge:
“As Governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.”
Kentucky voters have every right to know whether their senior senator can still cast votes and negotiate on their behalf.
That principle applies across the board.
