Frail Mitch McConnell appears to need assist from fellow Republicans after he nearly votes wrong way in Senate

Sen. Mitch McConnell appeared frail and required assistance from a fellow Republican senator at a committee hearing on Wednesday, two days after returning to the Hill for the first time since his hospitalization in June.

The Kentucky senator was at a meeting of the Senate Committee on Agriculture when his name was repeatedly called by a clerk recording the votes. Sen. John Boozman, a Republican from Arkansas, leaned in and instructed him to say “aye”.

McConnell then raised a finger and said, “aye,” and the votes continued.

The moment was quickly picked up online by Democrats who said that the senator had almost mistakenly voted with the wrong side.

“Republicans have to instruct Mitch McConnell to vote "yes" on a bill after he nearly votes "no" with Democrats,” wrote one account affiliated with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and former vice president Kamala Harris.

Leaving the committee meeting afterwards, McConnell ignored questions from reporters outside as he was quickly wheeled away by aides.

The moment comes just two days after the senior Kentucky senator and former leader of the Republican conference returned from a months-long absence. He was hospitalized in June after a fall, and then developed pneumonia, according to statements released from his office. His return to Washington followed weeks in a rehabilitation center.

He smiled and gave a thumbs-up to reporters as he was wheeled by aides out of his D.C. home on his way to the Senate on Monday, but did not take questions from reporters or respond to shouted inquiries. Spectators and online viewers noted that he seemed to stare straight ahead, his mouth partially agape.

He hasn’t given an on-camera statement at length since his hospitalization. Before returning to Washington, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear repeatedly urged his office to release a video of the senator talking about his recovery, but was rebuffed.

The Independent reached out to the senator’s office for comment.

At 84, McConnell is in his last term in the Senate. He announced last year that he would not stand for re-election, shortly after stepping down as leader of the Republican Senate conference and allowing his close ally Sen. John Thune to take over.

A former sufferer of childhood polio, McConnell has suffered repeated falls before, including on Capitol Hill, and over the past year has typically used a wheelchair to get around the Hill with the assistance of aides. One of the falls he suffered in 2023 occurred in public at Washington’s Reagan airport and was described as a “face-plant”.

Age has become a serious point of contention in Washington and particularly on Capitol Hill, where aging lawmakers in both chambers have faced accusations of remaining in office long after they are unable to effectively serve. Instances of such lawmakers suffering from bouts of confusion or disorientation have been reported involving members of both parties.

McConnell is no stranger to these concerns himself and alarmed many in the media and in the Senate itself when, in two moments within a few days of each other in the summer of 2023, he appeared to freeze up and be unable to speak at two news conferences on the Hill, surrounded by his colleagues and journalists.

On Monday, he described his recovery process after his latest hospitalization as sometimes frustrating, but said he was glad to be back in Washington.

“Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June. I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues,” said McConnell in a statement released to news outlets.

“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier. I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me,” his statement continued. “Elaine and I are very grateful for all the continued well wishes from our fellow Kentuckians, and I’m glad to get back to more of business as usual on their behalf this month.”