Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) fell as he exited the Senate chamber on Wednesday, though he did not immediately appear injured and walked away under his own power.
McConnell, who stepped down as Senate GOP leader in January, was assisted to his feet by Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Steve Daines (R-MT) and then walked to a Senate lunch. He had just cast a vote for Scott Turner to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development when he tripped.
The episode is the latest brush with injury for McConnell, who sustained a cut on his face and sprained his wrist in December at another Senate lunch.
In 2023, McConnell, 82, was hospitalized for a concussion and later had multiple freezing episodes in front of the press, apparently as a lingering symptom of the concussion.
The latest fall was due to the lasting effects of McConnell surviving polio as a child, according to a spokesperson for the senator.
“Senator McConnell is fine,” the spokesperson said. “The lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work.”
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McConnell was seen being escorted around the Capitol in a wheelchair following the lunch. The wheelchair was “purely as a precautionary measure,” according to a Senate aide with knowledge of the matter.
The McConnell spokesperson did not address reports of a second fall minutes later inside the room where Republicans met. Several GOP senators who were present told the Washington Examiner that McConnell seemed to act normal and was engaging with colleagues.
