'Lied to, deceived, betrayed': Kentuckians react to mystery around McConnell's health

[0:00] This week there are growing questions over what exactly is happening with Senator Mitch McConnell. [0:05] His office has provided very little information since he was hospitalized on June 14th after an [0:10] unspecified medical incident. The most recent statement released last week merely said that [0:16] he appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving as he recovers and that he's working [0:20] with staff while Congress is in recess. Meanwhile, lawmakers are preparing to return to Capitol Hill [0:26] on Monday and they have until the end of September to pass a bill to fund the government. Yes, [0:32] it's pretty important. And of course, McConnell is not just an ordinary senator. The former leader [0:37] is a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee where Democrats and Republicans are [0:41] currently locked in a stalemate over defense funding. Also not a small thing. And that's now [0:46] as Alex Tabott has been speaking with McConnell's constituents in Frankfort, Kentucky. And Michael [0:52] Schnell is our congressional reporter on Capitol Hill and Philip Bump still with us. Michael, [0:57] we've heard some growing rumblings that Republican lawmakers themselves are having some questions over [1:01] Mitch McConnell, what's going on with him. How concerned are they and how does this impact [1:06] business as usual on Capitol Hill? Yeah, Ariel, we've reached the point where McConnell's absence [1:11] is not just a concern among Democrats, but Republicans are itching for more information as well. [1:16] Mitch McConnell first admitted to the hospital on June 14th. And we still, to this point, [1:20] do not know why he was put in the hospital in what his condition is. We do know that he has spoken to [1:26] some top Republicans. He spoke to John Thune, according to Thune's spokesperson. He spoke to [1:30] the second highest ranking Senate Republican, John Barrasso earlier this week. But again, [1:35] we still don't know what his condition is. And the concerns are rising on both sides of the aisle. [1:40] We heard from Nancy Mace, the Republican congresswoman from South Carolina, who said that if Mitch [1:44] McConnell's condition is as bad as it seems it is, he should step aside. We've also heard from [1:50] Marlon Stutzman, a Republican from Indiana, who said that Mitch McConnell owes it to his constituents [1:54] to tell them why he is absent. At the end of the day, it's the constituents and those voters of [1:59] Kentucky who put him into the job. Now, in terms of logistical impacts of this, we will start to see [2:04] it up on Capitol Hill. As you mentioned, Mitch McConnell is a key member of the Senate Appropriations [2:09] Committee. In fact, he's the top Republican. He's the chairman of the subcommittee that deals with [2:14] defense spending, which is going to be so key as this war with Iran continues. And as we get closer to [2:19] that September 30th deadline. But Ariel, I've been speaking to a number of Republican lawmakers [2:23] in recent days, as well as aides and staffers. Nobody seems to know what Mitch McConnell's [2:28] condition is, though notable the Senate will be back in session next week. And I would assume [2:33] this will be a top topic of conversation. It is incredibly concerning. Of course, [2:38] we wish him the best, whatever may be going on. Alex, you're in Louisville. You're in Kentucky [2:42] traversing the state. What are the voters there telling you about this situation? [2:46] Well, Ariel, we've been talking to Republicans here. We've been talking to Democrats here. [2:51] We've been talking to people who don't vote at all here. And they're all telling us the exact [2:55] same thing. They want answers from their senator, Mitch McConnell. Take a listen to what they had to [3:02] say. How do you feel right now with your senator, MIA, for a month? [3:10] Oh, lied to, deceived, betrayed. He's supposed to be our people. He's supposed to be representing us. [3:17] And he's not. He's not. He's not even giving anyone an update. [3:21] We got old people trying to stay in the place in their power and designing who gets the seat [3:26] after them. My goodness, your retirement is long overdue. Give up this fight. [3:33] Give it up. We don't want you. You're not representing us well, so don't represent us at all. [3:41] And Ariel, we've also been asking these voters if they want term limits or age limits for the [3:47] politicians that we sent to Washington, D.C. To a T, every single one of them has said yes. [3:53] That also matches public opinion polling, which shows that the American public is overwhelmingly [3:59] in favor for those types of limitations. So the question must be asked, if the people want it, [4:06] why don't we have it? Ariel? [4:09] OK, so let's start there. If the people want it, why don't we have it? You know, [4:13] you have a growing chorus of even lawmakers on both sides of the aisle concerned about [4:18] the aging Congress. You have some young blood there, too. And you had former senator and [4:25] presidential candidate Mitt Romney asked about all of this in an interview. He said, [4:29] I basically think that people who are 80 and above really should not be running the world or running [4:34] the country. Are these calls going to create any kind of pressure to make there be age limits [4:42] in Congress and also in higher office in general? [4:45] I mean, potentially. The challenge, obviously, is that there are a lot of people who are over [4:49] the age of 80 who are still in power. And the people who are in power have the power to make [4:52] decide what changes. Right. I do think there's context. I wrote a book about the baby boom came [4:57] out a couple of years ago. Part of this is simply that Americans are living older because the baby boom [5:02] has gotten to be past retirement age. The oldest baby boom returned to 80 in January. So part of this is [5:08] there's a big group of Americans who are within that age group. This is, to some extent, a little [5:13] bit of a bubble, as we've seen with the baby boom since the beginning. I also think it's worth [5:16] pointing out that Mitch McConnell has been in poor health for a long time. He's been having trouble [5:20] walking. He's stumbled several times. So this was a question that has lingered over time. I don't know [5:26] this makes it particularly more acute, but it's a longstanding question. And it's less about age than it [5:30] is just about capacity. And that, I think, is unresolved. [5:32] Yeah. And getting to the point where you have age limits is sort of the highest bar. But what [5:38] about transparency? He is not the first lawmaker to face health problems for there to be a lack [5:44] of transparency. We had Tom Kane recently out for several months, apparently due to depression. [5:51] Senator Dianne Feinstein, who died in 2023, remained in office for months, and it was unclear what she was [5:57] coping with or how severe. Should there at least be an effort at transparency before we get to the [6:02] age limit? Yes. And I think that all of those are good examples of people being out of the [6:07] spotlight. But I think they're not comparable for two reasons. The first is simply Mitch McConnell [6:10] has so much power and such leverage on Capitol Hill that that's different than Feinstein and King [6:16] and others. The second is that there is this question about if he is incapacitated, which obviously [6:22] none of his hope is the case, but if he is incapacitated, there is a point at which Kentucky will [6:27] not if he were unable to fulfill his role as senator. There's a point at which Kentucky moves [6:33] from having, OK, then we have to have a special election to we're just going to resolve this in [6:36] November. That date is in early August. If it is the case that Mitch McConnell is unable to fulfill [6:40] his duties right now, they may not want a special election to replace him because it may empower [6:45] someone like Thomas Massey, who's not beloved by the Republican establishment. So there are other [6:50] machinations at play here, potentially. I don't want to, you know, conspiracy theorize or anything along [6:55] those lines. But this is a real consideration in terms of preserving that seat and preserving [6:59] power. It's not conspiracy to recognize the political implications of having a major figure [7:04] there out of commission, at least not. We don't know where he is. Yeah, right. I mean, [7:09] he could also answer this question, right? Like, tell us, right? Yeah, exactly. Alex Cabot, [7:14] Michael Schnell, thank you for your reporting. Philip, you're still here with me.