McConnell’s health emergency sparks questions on whether he will return to Senate

Emergency dispatch audio indicating that someone at Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) home in Washington, D.C., suffered “cardiac arrest” earlier this month has raised questions about when the former GOP leader will return to the Senate or whether he will return at all.

McConnell’s office has provided few details about his health status but reported a few days ago that he “appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.”

His office on Thursday also said the 84-year-old senator “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

But the scant detail about what sent him to the hospital on June 14, combined with the alarming audio from an emergency dispatcher, has fueled speculation that McConnell’s condition is much worse than his staff has acknowledged.

Al Cross, Kentucky’s longest-tenured political observer, who’s interviewed McConnell at length in recent weeks, said McConnell’s secretive response to his health emergency has fueled rumors about worst-case scenarios.

“They’re causing themselves problems by not saying more about it, but he’s always been very private about his health matters,” said Cross, who conducted two interviews with McConnell in the past six weeks for a historical project.

McConnell has appeared frail while maneuvering around the Senate’s crowded hallways this year.

He is often pushed through the Capitol by staff in a wheelchair, and when he walks into the Senate chamber, he usually has an aide or security detail — or two — by his side to help steady him.

McConnell’s staff announced June 14 that he was admitted to the hospital that morning and was “receiving excellent care” but didn’t give any clues about why or........

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