# 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:** 27
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/522 "2026-07-20T18:53:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, why are they doing it, then? Why not either post evidence that he’s actually conscious, or admit that he isn’t? They’re covering up something. And yes, they probably wouldn’t do that unless they had some reason. But what is the reason? Beats the fuck out of me. The simplest explanation is probably that McConnell really is recovering to an extent sufficient for him to be personally forbidding his staff from being more transparent because he’s a power-hungry asshat and refuses to relinquish his grip on power, but he’s not actually well enough to do more than pose for one photograph per week. He likely has enough personal loyalty in the ranks to get the guys talking about the phone calls to lie for him. Hell, they might actually have called Mitch for 20 minutes and talked to (not with) him about all kinds of things, with Mitch occasionally moaning a bit in response. So, technically not lying about the calls. That’s pure speculation, of course. But it’s more plausible than the idea that the Republican party is covering up McConnell’s death to avoid a special election that would most likely put an extra MAGA vote in the Senate till the permanent replacement is sworn in next year. The idea that Massie would be likely to win is just fantasy. ---
**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 20, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/523 "2026-07-20T18:54:31Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > > [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > > > Well, it would be a HIPAA violation, so monetary penalties. > > I won’t ask for a cite, but when I get a breather from paying work later today … I’m going to go through the letter of HIPAA to see if it’s crystal-clear that disclosing even the location of medical care is a violation. **[You’re largely correct](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html#who)** for **[both healthcare providers and for non-care-giving employees of the facility where McConnell is being treated such as custodial staff, information desk, gift-shop cashiers, etc.](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-C/part-160/subpart-A/section-160.103)** There are exceptions, but they wouldn’t apply to McConnell. However: Should a journalist or someone not affiliated with the facility somehow independently learn where McConnell is being treated (I envisioned a rando catching a peek at Elaine Chao in a parking garage, then dropping a dime), that journalist or whoever – not being affiliated with the relevant healthcare facility – is exempt from sanctions of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/524 "2026-07-20T18:54:47Z")
If you shave this with Occam’s razor, there’s nothing left. ---
**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 20, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/525 "2026-07-20T18:57:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But he isnt dead, or in a coma, or a reptile man or any other crazy conspiracy theories. 🙄 While I haven’t gone through this thread with a fine-toothed comb … I don’t believe the house (present SDMB company, not the Gang of 435) has lately forwarded any of these theories in earnest. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/526 "2026-07-20T18:59:28Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > While I haven’t gone through this thread with a fine-toothed comb … I don’t believe the house (present SDMB company, not the Gang of 435) has lately forwarded any of these theories in earnest. Coma or brain dead has been posted in earnest. Deceased? Maybe a joke? > [@Gorsnak](#): > > The simplest explanation is probably that McConnell really is recovering to an extent sufficient for him to be personally forbidding his staff from being more transparent because he’s a power-hungry asshat and refuses to relinquish his grip on power, but he’s not actually well enough to do more than pose for one photograph per week Well, he is that last for sure. ---
**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 20, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/527 "2026-07-20T19:00:47Z")
Ack! @Moriarty , I overlooked the _Hindustani Times_ link. Thanks for trying, but you know that doesn’t count. _The Daily Mail_ gives the _Hindustani Times_ the side-eye. ---
**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 20, 2026, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/528 "2026-07-20T19:07:01Z")
@bobot and @Johanna – the veal wasn’t half-bad. Thanks for the recommendations! ---
**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 20, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/529 "2026-07-20T19:11:19Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Coma or brain dead has been posted in earnest. Not since the first “proof of life” photo, no? I ask sincerely since I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/530 "2026-07-20T19:15:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Staff who happen to be reptile people? 🙄 I’m not sure where you are getting that from but if his staff is comprised of “reptile people”, that’s a hundred percent more reason to go take a look, wouldn’t you say? Imagine you’re trying to get some proof of life for McConnell and instead you see one of his staff devouring a mouse. That’s a way better story! Having said that, I agree with @Kent_Clark’s assessment here: > [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > He wouldn’t get past the front desk. I’m quite sure the whatever facility McConnell is in keeps a list of allowed vs. non-allowed visitors. And the list is probably immediate family and a few named staff members. Otherwise every nutjob in the world who wanted to see McConnell alive could just wander in. The front desk probably bounces all visitors up to and including Governors that haven’t been pre-approved. Still, I think it would be worth a try. But if McConnell wants to sit there and rot unobserved, so be it. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/531 "2026-07-20T19:15:40Z")
He’s deader than a doornail and I fully expect that they’ll announce it on or slightly after August 4. When people scream bloody murder about the coverup they’ll feign outrage that the Democrats are “politicizing the man’s death”. Mark my words. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/532 "2026-07-20T19:34:36Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > However: Should a journalist or someone not affiliated with the facility somehow independently learn where McConnell is being treated (I envisioned a rando catching a peek at Elaine Chao in a parking garage, then dropping a dime), that journalist or whoever – not being affiliated with the relevant healthcare facility – is exempt from sanctions of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Oh, yeah, definitely. But the original idea was along the lines of “You give a janitor at the place a million bucks to give the location, what’s going to happen to him?” Answer - a fine, legal fees, etc. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/533 "2026-07-20T19:56:47Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > The simplest explanation is probably that McConnell really is recovering to an extent sufficient for him to be personally forbidding his staff from being more transparent because he’s a power-hungry asshat and refuses to relinquish his grip on power, but he’s not actually well enough to do more than pose for one photograph per week. This has the ring of truth to it. Also, i thought he was a turtle, not a lizard. ---
**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 20, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/534 "2026-07-20T20:15:29Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > But the original idea was along the lines of “You give a janitor at the place a million bucks to give the location, what’s going to happen to him?” Answer - a fine, legal fees, etc. Guilty. But is was a ~~dumb-ass~~ good idea at the time! ---
**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 20, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/535 "2026-07-20T20:39:37Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Ack! @Moriarty , I overlooked the _Hindustani Times_ link. Thanks for trying, but you know that doesn’t count. Sorry. I did a quick google search to see if anybody has tried to figure out where Mitch had holed up. ---
**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 20, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/536 "2026-07-20T20:52:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They did- the Photo. Did you miss the part where I said “proof that he’s conscious”? A recording of him saying anything would be evidence of that. A video of him moving his face under his own power would be evidence. A still photo is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/537 "2026-07-20T21:20:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > A recording of him saying anything would be evidence of that. A video of him moving his face under his own power would be evidence. A still photo is meaningless. They wouldn’t be evidence for the people who want to believe he’s dead. “Oh, they put together old clips of him, and then used AI to clean them up!” The Hindustani Times cite quoted the TwitX posting of self-proclaimed Proud MAGA patriot “Gina Beana Fofina.” GASP! he’s wearing the same shirt he wore in 2025. How the f\*\*\* many sports shirts should an 84-year old man own? ---
**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 20, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/538 "2026-07-20T21:30:50Z")
I don’t think he’s dead. If he were, the doctors would have said so. But his condition could be literally anything short of dead. And the absence of proof, even when it would be really simple to provide, inclines me to believe that it’s closer to the vegetable end of the spectrum than the recovering-nicely end. > [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > They wouldn’t be evidence for the people who want to believe he’s dead. “Oh, they put together old clips of him, and then used AI to clean them up!” I wouldn’t put it past them to try, but I think that if they did, it’d be with their usual level of competence, and they’d be found out. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/539 "2026-07-20T21:37:30Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > Do you think Beshear showing up at George Washington Health & Rehabilitation every day asking to see McConnell would help Beshear? Booker? The Dems? Anyone in Kentucky? Where are you getting “every day” from? The governor of Kentucky knowing whether the state’s senior senator is going to be away from the Senate floor for the short-term, the long-term, or permanently is entirely germane to his job and to the state. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/540 "2026-07-20T21:50:57Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > what if the McConnell staff wants is exactly this: making all the Dem activists enraged _at Beshear_ for not being able to produce what only Team Mitch can. That seems like the sort of mischief they’d enjoy. And it’s certainly true that there’s currently a lot of internet posturing along the lines of _'I liked Beshear, but if he can’t deal with this decisively then I can’t support him_.’ (Just the sort of thing the Repubs would help along with a little goosing.) > [@bordelond](#): > > No, I don’t know that know he is recovering, doing phone calls and even a little work. For one, I’ve not observed it personally (to the strains of _“oh, COME ON!”_). Two, no one worthy of sufficient trust has reported it. That’s for sure. As has been suggested in the thread, Scott Jennings and his ilk would have no “ethical” problem with calling a number and talking for 20 minutes, and calling it ‘a conversation with Mitch.’ Being that their ethics are in the state they are. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/541 "2026-07-20T21:53:14Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > The governor of Kentucky knowing whether the state’s senior senator is going to be away from the Senate floor for the short-term, the long-term, or permanently is entirely germane to his job and to the state. It’s germane to his job in that there might be some kind of federal help his state needs where he’d rather talk to Mitch McConnell but now has to seek out Rand Paul. It’s not germane to Beshear’s job to know the medical situation obviously making it impossible for McConnell to say if or when he can return to his U.S. senator job. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=28)