Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in an interview on Monday that he will not be going anywhere "anytime soon" despite lingering questions about his health.
McConnell, who is 81, abruptly stopped speaking during a press conference in July before being escorted away by his colleagues. This incident came a few months after McConnell suffered from a concussion after falling at a fundraiser in March.
In an interview with Politico released on Monday, politics Bureau Chief Jonathan Martin said to the senator, during a conversation on divisions within the GOP, "You're not going anywhere," to which McConnell responded, "Not anytime soon."
Politico also reported that McConnell has suffered from hearing loss since his fall in March, and continues to deal with the remaining effects of polio he had as a child. One unnamed attendee said that at a recent Senate Republican lunch, McConnell "was sitting there as the conversation went on around him" without participating, leading one lawmaker to talk to McConnell's staff about him getting hearing aids.
Kentucky GOP Gov. Andy Beshear, when asked by Politico about the possibility of a vacant seat in his state, said, "It's not vacant. I've talked to his [McConnell's] people, he's doing alright. He's going to serve out his term."
Beshear added, "There's not going to be a vacancy. That would be total speculation."