MAGA conspiracy theorists are already suspicious about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s proof-of-life photo from his hospital bed.
The office of McConnell, 84, released an image of the Kentucky Republican on Sunday. He is wearing jeans and a button-up shirt and lying in what appeared to be a hospital bed beside his wife, Elaine Chao, 73. The photo was released hours after the sudden death of Senate colleague Lindsey Graham at age 71.
It is the first time McConnell has been seen since his hospitalization on June 14, with even President Donald Trump saying he was unsure of the senator’s health condition.
Along with the photo, his office released a lengthy statement on Sunday evening that said he did not suffer “a heart attack or a stroke,” but was taken to the hospital after a fall and was “briefly unconscious.”
The statement, which is purportedly written by McConnell himself, claims that after the fall he “had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia” while recovering at the hospital, but said with “signs of continued progress” he has been moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation center “where I’ll keep regaining my strength.”
However, some outspoken MAGA figures were not buying the belated photo or the tone of the statement.
Far-right loyal Trump ally Laura Loomer posted on X, “How come Mitch McConnell’s staff won’t release a video of him? A photo could have been taken at any time. I call BS. The American people aren’t stupid.”
In a string of further posts, Loomer said, “There’s no way Mitch McConnell wrote that essay,” and, examining the photo, claimed the text on Sunday’s copy of the Washington Post that McConnell is touching looked “AI-generated.”
“The text is blurry and the tag on his shirt is blurred,” Loomer said. “Also, if he’s in the hospital, why is there no IV connected to him to monitor his health? This is such bulls---. His staff are liars.”
Loomer posted on July 6 that a “high-level source” close to the White House had told her that “Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He’s not coming back.” It started an intense debate about the transparency around his health.
She added he was being “kept alive” by life support machines.
Former Utah Republican and Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz shared a Fox News story on McConnell’s proof-of-life photo on X, adding, “Let’s see you say it. A written statement is far different than saying it on camera.”
Loomer then weighed in on Chaffetz’s post, adding, “We all know he didn’t write that statement! It wasn’t pneumonia either! The 911 operator said he was getting CPR.”
Former Fox News producer Kylie Jane Kremer went full conspiracy theory on the photo in a string of posts, stating that a video would have been a more effective proof of life.
“Instead of a written statement and a single photograph, the public deserves clear, direct proof that Senator McConnell is recovering and able to communicate,” she said. “A brief, unedited video would put nearly all of these questions to rest.”
Kremer also echoed Loomer’s theory that “the newspaper text is too blurry to independently verify the date or publication, so it does not establish when the photo was actually taken.”
Another post by Kremer read “WHERE IS THE METADATA ON THE ORIGINAL PHOTO OF MITCH McCONNELL?????????”
Metadata is used to access where and when a photo was taken, but it can be turned off in phone settings. It is often removed from photos posted online for security reasons to hide the location of the person in the photo.
The Daily Beast has contacted McConnell’s office for comment.
