An extremely frail Mitch McConnell in a wheelchair returned to the halls of Capitol Hill with a joke after vanishing for three months.
The 84-year-old senator’s dramatic return came as the Senate returned from a five-week recess, but McConnell was gone for 92 days.
The senator, still seated in the wheelchair, gave a brief statement to reporters just outside the Senate chamber on Monday before being wheeled to the Senate floor.
“I must admit, after two years, two decades after dodging your questions, I wasn’t sure how many of you would be here today,” McConnell joked to reporters. “So I’m glad to see you. Time to get back to work to finish the job for this Congress. I’m here to work on the farm bill.”
He also mentioned focusing on NATO and “backing up our good friends who are totally in the fight against the Russians.”
The senator did not answer any questions about his absence, and reporters were not allowed to take video of his comments.
The Kentucky senator was accompanied by his chief of staff Terry Carmack along with communications director Stephanie Penn and another staffer as he arrived outside the chamber.
Once rolled onto the floor of the Senate, he was parked just off the aisle. His aides stood close by, and Carmack periodically leaned forward to speak quietly to him.
Multiple senators stepped up to greet him, including GOP Sens. Roger Wicker, James Lankford, John Curtis and Bernie Moreno. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois also approached him with a smile and could be heard loudly saying, “Welcome back,” as he shook McConnell’s ghostly hand.
The other senators appeared to be doing most of the talking during his brief time on the Senate floor, but McConnell could be heard softly responding in a raspy Kentucky drawl, though his exact words were impossible to make out from the gallery above.
Ahead of the senator returning to Capitol Hill, his team refused to answer questions on his return, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated he hoped McConnell would be back this week.
There was an increased police presence outside McConnell’s home on Capitol Hill Monday afternoon as the Senate was set to return, but it was not clear whether the senator would head to Capitol Hill or if law enforcement was just responding to the increased presence of reporters outside the home.
It became clear only when McConnell emerged from the home in a wheelchair, escorted by his team, and was helped into a waiting SUV. He could be seen giving a thumbs-up.
McConnell then released a statement indicating he would be returning to the Senate to vote.
“Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June,” the statement read. “I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues.”
The 84-year-old went on that his recovery has been “a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier.”
“I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me,” the statement continued. “Elaine and I are very grateful for all the continued well wishes from our fellow Kentuckians, and I’m glad to get back to more of business as usual on their behalf this month.”
As Senate staffers headed to the chamber for the vote and get a glimpse of McConnell, murmurs about his return could be heard. One staffer loudly declared, “He’s back,” with a laugh.
But the senator’s disappearance since being hospitalized on June 14 and refusal to provide more updates infuriated some Americans, including Kentuckians.
While he was recovering, his office released only two photographs in July and provided no video updates, despite some allies claiming to have spoken to McConnell by phone. He also kept Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, completely in the dark on his progress.
Since his hospitalization, McConnell has continued to receive Senate pay. Senators receive an annual salary of $174,000. In the three months he was recovering, he received some $43,500 in pay while ignoring demands for updates and missing 60 votes in the Senate.
