A doctor stated Tuesday that the most recent of two instances of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell freezing up as he spoke in public did not reveal any signs of a seizure disease or a stroke.
In a letter to McConnell, McConnell’s attending physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, also stated that there is no proof the Kentucky Republican has “a movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.”
“There are no changes recommended in treatment protocols as you continue recovery from your March 2023 fall,” Monahan wrote.
After falling at a hotel at a private dinner in Washington, D.C., McConnell, 81, suffered a concussion and was admitted to the hospital in the first few days of March.
In Covington, Kentucky, on Wednesday, McConnell froze mid-sentence while addressing the media. He was given a question and remained silent for almost thirty seconds at the lectern.
When he was speaking to reporters on July 26 during a press conference for Senate Republicans in the Capitol, he had a similar occurrence.
According to Monahan’s letter, he evaluated McConnell following the second “brief episode.”
That exam ”[included] several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment.”
A transient ischemic attack, which the National Institutes of Health define as “a stroke that lasts only a few minutes,” was also ruled out by Monahan in addition to a stroke.
Monahan had written on Thursday that he had spoken with McConnell and “his neurology team.”
“After evaluating yesterday’s incident, I have informed Leader McConnell that he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned,” the doctor wrote. “Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration.”
