One of America’s strongest politicians is being handled in hospital after struggling a concussion within the US capital.
Mitch McConnell, who’s the Republican chief within the Senate – the higher chamber of Congress – tripped and fell at a resort on Wednesday night.
The 81-year-old had been on the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC attending a non-public dinner for the Senate Leadership Fund, a marketing campaign committee he’s linked with.
The Kentucky senator is because of keep in hospital for a “few days of observation and treatment”, his spokesman David Popp mentioned.
Mr McConnell “is grateful to the medical professionals for their care and to his colleagues for their warm wishes”, he added.
The politician, who survived polio as a baby, has been awake and speaking to folks and is anticipated to make a full restoration, mentioned Republican senator John Barrasso, who’s in his management workforce.
President Joe Biden tweeted that he wished the Senate minority chief a “speedy recovery” and appeared ahead to seeing him return to the Senate ground.
Senate majority chief Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, mentioned he had known as Mr McConnell and spoken to his workers “to extend my prayers and well wishes”.
South Dakota senator John Thune advised reporters he had additionally been on the dinner and his fellow Republican had given his remarks “as usual”.
Mr Thune, who had not seen Mr McConnell fall, added: “Evidently it happened later in the evening.”
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First elected to the Senate in 1984, Mr McConnell served as Senate majority chief from 2015 to early 2021 and as Senate minority chief since 2021.
In January this yr, he grew to become the longest-serving Senate social gathering chief in US historical past, after being elected to steer the Republican convention 9 occasions since 2006.
Democrats, together with three independents who vote with them, at the moment maintain a 51-49 majority within the higher home.
In 2019, Mr McConnell tripped and fell at his Kentucky residence, struggling a shoulder fracture, after which had surgical procedure.
Currently serving his seventh six-year time period, which runs to 2026, he’s the third US senator to be handled in hospital in current weeks.
Democrat John Fetterman is being handled for melancholy, whereas Diane Feinstein, additionally a Democrat, was taken to hospital final week and later discharged to recuperate at residence following a bout of shingles.
The Democrat absences have been a problem for Mr Schumer together with his social gathering having a slim majority, whereas the Republicans, because the minority social gathering, have had a better time with intermittent absences.
Source: information.sky.com”