Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the U.S. Senate for many years, has been hospitalized in a new health setback for the 83-year-old. McConnell, who will be 84 in two weeks, went to the hospital after feeling “flu-like symptoms” over the weekend.
“In an abundance of caution, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation last night,” McConnell spokesman David Popp said in a statement to ABC News.
“His prognosis is positive, and he is grateful for the excellent care he is receiving. He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business.”
McConnell, who won’t run for re-election when his term ends in January 2027, has had a lot of health problems in the past few years. Recent pictures of the senator show him holding on to the arm of a security guard.
President Donald Trump is seeking to replace McConnell—who has frequently opposed the White House this year—with a loyal ally.
Still, insiders say that concerns are rising within Trump’s inner circle over a front-runner’s repeated donations to lawmakers who voted to impeach the president several years back. But the White House is primarily focused on getting a Republican in office who will work and side with the president.
Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) contributed seven times through his leadership PAC to support four House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 for allegedly inciting the January 6 Capitol riot, despite Trump urging his supporters to primary them out of office.
Barr, 51, criticized Trump as “irresponsible” and “not blameless,” yet personally voted against impeaching the 45th president.
The congressman is now engaged in a three-way race for McConnell’s Senate seat, held by the longtime senator since 1985, against former state attorney general Daniel Cameron, 39, and waste management entrepreneur Nate Morris, 44.
About a month after leaving the White House in 2021, the former and future president publicly read aloud the names of the 10 House Republicans who had joined Democrats in voting to impeach him over his claims that the 2020 election was stolen, urging his supporters to “get rid of them all.”
In February 2021, Barr donated $2,500 to then-Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), who seven months later called Trump “a cancer” and announced he would not seek re-election. Barr also continued to support three other Republicans who, alongside then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), voted to impeach Trump, The Post reported.
Through his PAC, Barr contributed $2,000 to then-Rep. John Katko (R-NY) on June 15, 2021; $10,000 to Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) in four installments between June 2021 and August 2022; and $3,000 to then-Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) in July 2022, the outlet continued, adding that of the four, only Valadao remains in the House.
“Andy Barr didn’t just blame President Trump for the violence on [Jan. 6, 2021], he actively funded the Republicans who voted to impeach him — after the president had already made clear that he was going to target them in primaries,” said a longtime Trump adviser. “I can’t imagine a bigger slap in the face to the president than that.”
“Everyone in Trump’s circle views Barr as just another one of McConnell’s mentees, meaning you know he’s not going to be there for Trump when things get tough and it really matters,” another source close to the White House told The Post.
Loyalty has played a key role in staffing decisions for Trump’s second administration, and Barr’s critics hope it will also influence the president’s Senate endorsement.
Barr’s supporters argue that he has consistently backed the president and aimed to build a broad GOP coalition to oppose the Biden administration’s agenda. They also note that his PAC has made hundreds of donations.