Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) cast doubt on a photo shared by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) of himself and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, in the hospital, stating that he heard it “was an older photo.
During an interview on Real America’s Voice Bolling! with host Eric Bolling, Johnson was asked if he believed the photo of McConnell was recent. Johnson acknowledged that while he has not spoken to McConnell, who is reported to have been hospitalized since June 14, he heard from a source that it “was an older photo.”
“Now, Mitch McConnell. Can we talk a little Mitch McConnell too? Because I saw a picture that I’m not sure I believe is actually Mitch McConnell from the hospital,” Bolling said. “After what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen, do you believe Mitch McConnell is the one who said, ‘I’m okay, here’s a picture of my wife, Elaine Chao and I’ in that hospital bed?”
“I just heard from some other source, that was an older photo,” Johnson responded. “So, I really don’t know. I haven’t talked to Mitch. I certainly wish he and his family well, I hope he can recover. Listen, it’s sad to watch people age, no matter who that person is.”
Johnson later issued a statement on social media, warning people to “beware of clickbait” and to listen to the full interview, the Hill reported.
“Most importantly, I hope @SenMcConnell makes a full recovery and returns to the Senate,” Johnson added.
McConnell released a photo of himself and Chao in the hospital, and a statement expressing that he and Chao “have appreciated” people’s “well wishes” and questions.
“To my fellow Kentuckians, when you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth’s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I’d keep showing up to fight for you every day,” McConnell said in his statement. “And over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.”
McConnell’s statement continued to share that his doctors confirmed he “didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion.”
“I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke,” McConnell added. “I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. 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.”
The statement and photo from McConnell comes after conservative activist Laura Loomer and journalist Desiree Townsend claimed that McConnell was “brain dead” and cited “unnamed sources.”
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