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Mitch McConnell had 2 unreported falls this year, including a 'face plant' at an airport in July, reports say. That's at least 3 falls in 2023.

Jul 28, 2023, 11:04 IST
Business Insider
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell fell at least three times this year.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
  • Sen. Mitch McConnell, 81, has had a history of falls this year, per several new reports.
  • After falling and fracturing his rib in March, McConnell also tripped at an airport in July, per NBC.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suffered at least two previously undisclosed falls this year, according to multiple reports.

McConnell, 81, tripped and fell while disembarking from a plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on July 14, NBC News reported, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the incident.

One of those sources, a passenger on the flight, said the Kentucky lawmaker had a "face plant" as he tried to exit the plane, per NBC. They said they did not see the fall in person but spoke to another passenger who assisted McConnell after his fall.

The senator was not seriously hurt, per NBC.

ABC News also reported that McConnell fell while leaving his flight on July 14, citing unnamed sources who said he tripped on the air bridge.

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McConnell's other fall occurred in February as he visited Helsinki, Finland, on an official trip, CBS reported. North Carolina GOP Sen. Ted Budd told the outlet he was with McConnell during the fall, but added that it was "very icy at the time."

"It could have happened to any of us," he told CBS. Budd said McConnell's fall did not disrupt any meetings or official activities, per CBS.

All three outlets also reported that McConnell occasionally uses a wheelchair.

Including the two previously unreported incidents, McConnell has had at least three separate falls this year.

He was hospitalized in March after tripping at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington D.C., which left him with a concussion and a fractured rib. McConnell returned to the Senate floor in mid-April, six weeks after the accident.

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In 2019, the GOP leader also fell on the patio of his home in Kentucky and fractured his shoulder.

The senator's health has come under scrutiny in the past week after he abruptly stopped speaking at a press conference on Wednesday and froze for 20 seconds, before being escorted away by other Republicans.

When McConnell returned later and was pressed by reporters about his well-being, he curtly replied: "I'm fine."

An aide for McConnell said he'd stepped away from the podium because he felt "light-headed," but added that the senator was "sharp."

A day later, California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, appeared confused during a Senate hearing and tried to deliver a speech during a vote, raising questions over her ability to perform her official duties.

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Feinstein's spokesperson later said she was "preoccupied" amid a "chaotic" hearing.

A representative for McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

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