For years, Republicans ridiculed Democratic officials who vouched for Joe Biden’s competence, even as the then-president’s public appearances increasingly raised questions about his age and stamina. Conservative commentators dismissed those assurances as scripted talking points designed to shield an aging politician from accountability. Now, right-wing activists who spent years demanding transparency are accusing Republican leaders of perpetrating their own cover-up.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history, has not been seen in public since he was hospitalized on June 14 after emergency responders were dispatched to his Washington residence. Police scanner audio reviewed by multiple outlets describes a “cardiac arrest” and CPR in progress on an “unconscious” person at that address. McConnell’s office has never confirmed the call was about him or why he was hospitalized. His communications staff have repeated a single talking point for three weeks: The senator “continues to improve” and is “working closely with staff.”
