Key takeaways:
- Dispatch audio reviewed by NBC News and CBS News described an “unconscious” person and possible “cardiac arrest” at an address associated with Sen. Mitch McConnell on June 14.
- McConnell’s office said that day he had been hospitalized and was “receiving excellent care,” but has not disclosed the reason for his admission.
- McConnell, 84, has faced several health issues in recent years, including a February hospitalization for “flu-like symptoms,” a 2023 concussion after a fall, and two public freezing episodes that year.
Emergency medical personnel were sent to an address associated with Sen. Mitch McConnell last month for an “unconscious” person who appeared to be in “cardiac arrest” on the same morning his office announced he had been hospitalized, according to dispatch audio reviewed by NBC News and CBS News.
The June 14 call came before 9 a.m., CBS reported. In the recording, a dispatcher called in a “cardiac arrest,” said someone was “unconscious,” and a medic said there was “CPR in progress” at McConnell’s address, according to CBS. NBC News reported that police scanner audio it obtained showed paramedics responding to a report of a “cardiac arrest” for an “unconscious” person at a known address for the Kentucky Republican.
The senator’s name was not mentioned during the call, and CBS said it had not confirmed the identity of the unconscious person. NBC said McConnell’s office, when asked about the audio, referred the network to a June 22 statement from spokesman David Popp.
“Senator McConnell is still working closely with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters as he continues his recovery. However, he will not be voting this week,” Popp said in that statement.
McConnell’s office has not disclosed why he was admitted to the hospital or whether he remains hospitalized. In a brief statement on June 14, the office said, “Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care.” NBC reported that he has not been seen since he was hospitalized.
A day after the hospitalization was announced, a spokesperson said McConnell “is fully engaged with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said June 15 that he had spoken with McConnell and that the senator “sounded good.”
“He’s clearly dialed into what’s going on,” Thune said. “He’s following the stuff we’re doing this week up here.”
McConnell, 84, last voted on June 11, CBS reported. His office said in the June 22 statement that he would not be voting that week.
The dispatch audio was previously reported by Punchbowl News, according to NBC. CBS said audio of the call was first shared by journalist Desiree Townsend. CBS also said it had reached out to McConnell’s office for comment.
McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, has had several health issues in recent years. In February, he spent more than a week in the hospital after checking himself in with “flu-like symptoms.” In 2023, he was hospitalized with a concussion after tripping at a Washington dinner, and later that year he froze on camera in two separate incidents while taking questions from reporters. In 2024, he suffered minor injuries after another fall, CBS reported. In 2019, he fractured a shoulder when he fell at home.
At a May 19 committee hearing, McConnell was seen with a bandage around his hand, according to CBS.
McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and served as Senate Republican leader from 2007 to 2025, making him the longest-serving party leader in the chamber’s history. He announced last year that he would not seek re-election.
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