# Mitch McConnell falls twice in Capitol **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 6, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937 "2025-02-06T00:54:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/402 "2026-07-14T12:44:16Z")
Photo or not, the thing I find convincing is this. McConnell could put all these rumors to rest by calling the governor, or appearing briefly on TV and waving at the camera - no speaking required. He won’t. To me, that strongly suggests he can’t. He’s brain dead or in a coma or heavily sedated and his staff and the GOP leadership is covering for him. Since they have a proven track record of lying, I am not inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/403 "2026-07-14T13:58:20Z")
I’m wondering why his eyes are looking in two different directions in the photo. That makes me think his condition is much more serious than what the GOP claims. It kind of looks like he had a stroke. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/404 "2026-07-14T14:04:25Z")
We have to stop spreading these rumors about Mitch. He’s fine! I’ve seen the videos that prove it. Most convincing are the ones that show him jumping out of bed and doing athletic moves, or in another example lifting weights and doing pushups on the hospital floor as Elaine Chao looks on adoringly. There _is_ a somewhat disturbing one in which Mitch peels off his face to reveal a shrunken reptile head (Elaine does not react well). But he’s fine, really, up to date on the big issues confronting the Senate and rarin’ to go. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/405 "2026-07-14T14:11:00Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > It kind of looks like he had a stroke. That condition would account for why he has been non verbal this whole time, even if he is smiling in a picture. I said it was a stroke upthread, and I continue to believe that it’s a plausible explanation. My unsupported guess is he can’t walk or talk, and I don’t think he can use his arms. It remains to be seen whether he is mentally sharp, which is the real criteria for his job. There haven’t been any statements purporting to come from him, as far as I can tell. Instead, it’s just reports from people who have talked to him. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/406 "2026-07-14T14:22:21Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > He’s brain dead or in a coma or heavily sedated and his staff and the GOP leadership is covering for him. I wouldn’t be exactly shocked to the core if it turned out a brain-dead or comatose McConnell were sat up and somehow situated that he looked more or less lucid long enough for a snapshot. Still, that has to be a very remote likelihood. I think **Paul** got in one up in post #344: > I understand he released a written statement proving his is alive. If this is in fact the case, I presume he is unable to speak or walk. Generally, there’s no reason for viewers to admit to anything that the “Proof of Life” photograph doesn’t conclusively prove on its own. - **Alive?** Almost certainly. While not conclusively proven, Occam’s Razor suggests against the wilder theories. - **Sitting up?** More likely than not, at least long enough for a few snapshots. No evidence that he wasn’t helped to get in position, nor that he can sit for a sustained period. - **Walking?** Hey, they took a still for a reason. No evidence supports ability to walk. - **Speaking?** See “Walking?” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/407 "2026-07-14T14:53:40Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@steronz](#): > > > > This is the key question. NBC News (and maybe others) claim to have acquired the scanner recordings, so it’s not just “some guy said.” > > So what? Medical records are private by law. The “so what” is that if McConnell had a medical emergency that required CPR and his spokesmen isn’t admitting this, it’s evidence that they’re lying about his condition. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/408 "2026-07-14T14:59:41Z")
How does issuing a written statement prove anything? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/409 "2026-07-14T15:08:19Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > McConnell could put all these rumors to rest by calling the governor, or appearing briefly on TV and waving at the camera - no speaking required. He won’t. To me, that strongly suggests he can’t. It would be just like McConnell to say nothing in the hopes that Dems will embarrass themselves with ugly guesses. Fortunately, folks have been canny enough to keep it respectful. Well, the politicians have. The rest of us are mostly saying what we really think. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/410 "2026-07-14T15:27:54Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > or appearing briefly on TV and waving at the camera - no speaking required By now, if he did, the whole net would explode with claims _that_ was AI or that we must only accept raw uncut setup-to-goodbye footage from a source that _will_ talk about what they saw while filming. We’re never getting a real answer for however long he’s got left, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/411 "2026-07-14T15:31:24Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > > > ’ve also seen an alleged photo of McConnell and his wife in that pose, except they’re sitting in beach chairs at a resort, she’s not holding his hand, he’s holding a drink, not a newspaper, and it’s supposedly from two or three years ago. > > Likely photoshopped, look at Sherrerds post. Look, I trust the BBC and the Guardian. We have to stop spreading these rumors. Dr. Deth is correct. I saw these two pictures a couple of days ago, and the author said explicitly that the “beach” photo was faked. He did this (he said) just to show that it’s easy to fake photos. He took the hospital photo and digitally manipulated it into the beach photo. I knew it would take no time at all for this to be reposted as “proof” that the hospital photo was the one that was photoshopped. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/412 "2026-07-14T15:33:23Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > > [@Toxgoddess](#): > > > > or appearing briefly on TV and waving at the camera - no speaking required > > By now, if he did, the whole net would explode with claims _that_ was AI or that we must only accept raw uncut setup-to-goodbye footage from a source that _will_ talk about what they saw while filming . It could be something akin to a televised “press conference”–either actually IN his rehab room or maybe in the facility’s lobby or common room–except with a _much_ smaller contingent of reporters that would be typical (call it 6-10 reporters, tops). However, there would have to be representation across the political media spectrum: Fox, MSNOW, CNN, BBC, _WSJ_, _National Review_, _The Nation_, _Mother Jones_, etc. EDIT: Live witnesses from across the political spectrum would be sufficient for all but the hoariest corners of social media. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/413 "2026-07-14T16:49:50Z")
FWIW, there IS a conspiracy to minimize the severity of his “fall” and obfuscate the nature of his current condition. The photo proves only that he is not dead or in a coma. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/414 "2026-07-14T17:14:57Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > FWIW, there IS a conspiracy to minimize the severity of his “fall” and obfuscate the nature of his current condition . This is an outstanding point. Even simpler: **A conspiracy to conceal information due to the public.** _“But HIPAA! Medical stuff is private! But! But! …”_ Take a deep breath, Mr. Straw. “_Information due to the public_” here does not mean McConnell’s medical chart. I’m happy to stipulate that everything up to the bleeding edge of HIPAA law is, actually, due to the public. However, I’d anticipate difficulty in achieving consensus on that stipulation so I’m just as happy to agree to draw the line elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/415 "2026-07-14T17:26:27Z")
HIPAA binds his medical providers. It does not bind him, nor his family, nor his senatorial office. You want to hold one of the highest positions of power in the world, well, there’s a price for that. You want to stay private, you can leave the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/416 "2026-07-14T18:12:26Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > The discrepancy is that the McConnell camp says nothing about cardiac arrest. Why should they? Medical Records are private by law. > [@Catamount](#): > > I’m wondering why his eyes are looking in two different directions in the photo. I double checked the BBC and Guardian photos- no such thing. Can we stop with the conspiracy theories? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The “so what” is that if McConnell had a medical emergency that required CPR and his spokesmen isn’t admitting this, Why should they? It is none of our business. Medical records are private by law. They can release anything they want, as long as it isnt a falsehood. Did they _deny_ CPR was involved? > [@bordelond](#): > > This is an outstanding point. Even simpler: **A conspiracy to conceal information due to the public.** > > _“But HIPAA! Medical stuff is private! But! But! …”_ Medical stuff is private. As long as they dont actually lie, they can choose to release or not whatever they want. > [@Chronos](#): > > HIPAA binds his medical providers. It does not bind him, nor his family, nor his senatorial office. Yes, McConnell _may_ release such info. He is under no obligation to do so. Many politicians have gone off and been ill, and not released all the info the Press and public wanted. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/417 "2026-07-14T18:43:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > > The “so what” is that if McConnell had a medical emergency that required CPR and his spokesmen isn’t admitting this, > > Why should they? It is none of our business. Medical records are private by law. They can release anything they want, as long as it isnt a falsehood. Did they _deny_ CPR was involved? If he _did_ have a cardiac arrest, and they claimed (as they do) that he had a fall, that’s a lie of omission. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/418 "2026-07-14T18:48:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Why should they? It is none of our business. Medical records are private by law. They can release anything they want, as long as it isnt a falsehood. Did they _deny_ CPR was involved? They didn’t just say his medical condition is a private matter and they won’t be commenting on it. They issued a statement on his medical condition which evidence strongly suggests is false. I’m not arguing that any laws have been broken. Legally, they can say that McConnell has a toothache. But the fact that McConnell’s office feels the need to release false reports about his medical condition indicates they feel that his real medical condition is something they need to conceal. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/419 "2026-07-14T18:54:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > They issued a statement on his medical condition which evidence strongly suggests is false. > [@steronz](#): > > If he _did_ have a cardiac arrest, and they claimed (as they do) that he had a fall, Are the two things contradictory? Can you fall as a result of a cardiac arrest? Can you fall then later have a cardiac arrest? Or otherwise? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But the fact that McConnell’s office feels the need to release false reports about his medical So, somehow you know he had a cardiac arrest and didnt fall? Perhaps one could say that is a “lie by omission” (which I do not think is really a lie) and is assumes he had a cardiac arrest, which is unknown at this time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/420 "2026-07-14T18:56:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, McConnell _may_ release such info. He is under no obligation to do so. He is under no legal obligation (though perhaps that should change, along with things like tax returns). He is, however, under a moral obligation. And previous high office holders who were silent about their relevant medical conditions likewise failed their moral obligations. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/421 "2026-07-14T18:59:19Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Are the two things contradictory? Can you fall as a result of a cardiac arrest? Can you fall then later have a cardiac arrest? Or otherwise? > > So, somehow you know he had a cardiac arrest and didnt fall? Perhaps one could say that is a “lie by omission” (which I do not think is really a lie) and is assumes he had a cardiac arrest, which is unknown at this time. If McConnell had a cardiac arrest and didn’t mention it in the report that was released on his health status, I have no problem in calling that a straight up lie. I’d suggest it’s time for you to put down the shovel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=22)