Democrat Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has called on Sen. Mitch McConnell, one of the two Republican senators from his state, to explain his long-term health absence or resign.
In a letter sent to McConnell on Monday, Beshear called upon the former Senate majority leader to fully explain his health status, believing that the carefully released photos do not paint the full picture. His letter came after the McConnell family shared another photo of the senator as he recovers from a reported fall.
“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. 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,” Beshear wrote, per CNN.
On Monday, McConnell’s office said the senator wishes to get back to work but has not yet been medically cleared to leave the rehab facility. Beshear said more information is needed.
“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. 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,” Beshear wrote.
“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,” he continued.
Beshear also sent a copy of the letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune with an additional letter calling on him to ask McConnell’s staff “to be honest and transparent with the people of Kentucky.”
“Per our research, a vacancy in the Senate occurs when a senator dies, resigns, or is expelled by a vote of the Senate itself. If Senator McConnell is unwilling to voluntarily show that he still has the capacity to serve, I will insist that you as the Majority Leader of the Senate fully investigate his condition, report to the American people, and begin the process if warranted,” Beshear wrote to Thune.
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