U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell breaks silence, says he was hospitalized after a fall

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell breaks silence, says he was hospitalized after a fall

The 84-year-old says he's gone through a battery of tests to determine the cause

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell on Sunday revealed for the first time that a fall led to his hospitalization after weeks of silence — and subsequent mounting speculation about the Kentucky Republican's health.

McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he has undergone a battery of tests as doctors try to determine what led to his fall. He explained the long silence about his condition by saying that "folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older."

"Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct — I can't help it," he said.

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McConnell said he is now in a rehabilitation centre and will not be returning to the Senate "quite yet." He said he continues to work with his staff on Senate business in the meantime.

The statement included a smiling picture of the senator with his wife, Elaine Chao, a tacit response to speculation online that McConnell had died or was incapacitated.

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It comes following his hospitalization on June 14. McConnell's office for weeks provided little information, insisting only that he was "receiving excellent care" and recovering.

As his hospital stay grew longer, speculation mounted about his condition. It grew so intense that Kentucky's Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear took the extraordinary step of asking that McConnell update the public about his health in a "transparent manner."