Sen. Mitch McConnell cleared to continue work by doctors after freezing while being asked questions on two separate occasions

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is cleared to continue work as normal after two occasions over the past two months when he “froze” while answering questions from reporters, a congressional doctor said Thursday.

Capitol Attending Physician Dr. Brian Monahan said in a statement released by McConnell’s office that he had consulted with the 81-year-old Kentucky Republican and his neurology team and McConnell was “medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned.”

“Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration,” Monahan noted.

The statement was released almost exactly 24 hours after McConnell triggered renewed speculation about his health when he suffered an episode in his home state while answering a question about the prospects of him running for re-election in 2026.

“What are my thoughts about what?” McConnell asked during a media availability in Covington, Ky., near Cincinnati.

“Running for re-election in 2026,” a reporter answered.

“Oh,” McConnell exclaimed before his eyes darted upward and he stared blankly into space.

“Did you hear the question, Senator? Running for re-election in 2026?” a woman standing next to McConnell said.

After about 30 seconds, McConnell appeared to snap back to reality and took two additional questions. A rep for the senator also chalked up the bizarre moment to lightheadedness soon after it happened.

McConnell suffered a concussion in a fall March 8 at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Washington. He also fell while deplaning a canceled flight at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in northern Virginia July 14. 

Thirteen days later, McConnell was answering a question from reporters at the Capitol when he suddenly trailed off and assumed a blank stare for around 20 seconds. On that occasion, the Senate Republican leader was led away by his colleagues before returning to the microphones to take additional questions. 

Dr. Lee Schwamm, a professor of biomedical informatics and data sciences at Yale School of Medicine who has not treated the senator, suggested to The Post prior to Monahan’s announcement that McConnell’s episodes were the result of a partial complex seizure, which can be caused by prior brain trauma — like a concussion.

“He doesn’t lose balance. He doesn’t fall over. He freezes .. His hands are gripping the lectern but if you look at his face, you’ll see his eyes deviate to the right,” explained Schwamm, who also suggested that the recurring nature of the incidents could mean that McConnell has partial epilepsy.

Dr. Steven Giannotta, chair and professor of neurological surgery at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, who also has not seen McConnell, put forward another theory —  a transient ischemic attack (ITA), widely known as a “mini-stroke.”

“It’s relatively common in people his age, for the obvious reason — the aging of the brain and the aging of the blood vessels and all kinds of reasons not to get enough blood flow to the brain,” he said. 

However, Schwamm added, the recurring nature of the freezing incidents made TIA less of a possibility.

“I do think that TIA or warning stroke was definitely legitimately in the differential diagnosis with the first spell [in July],” he said. “With this second time of the spell happening and especially with the eye movement changes that we saw — that makes it much less likely.”

As for the suggestion by Monahan that dehydration may have caused McConnell’s behavior, both Schwamm and Giannotta dismissed the idea.

“You don’t get focal brain symptoms by getting dehydrated,” Giannotta told The Post, noting that people can faint from lack of fluids but don’t usually develop a fixed gaze the way McConnell did in both July and August.

Schwamm agreed, saying the dehydration theory “doesn’t make any sense.”

The Senate is currently on its August recess and is due to reconvene in Washington Sept. 5, with Politico reporting Thursday that some GOP-ers were weighing holding an emergency meeting to discuss McConnell’s position after they get back. Only five Republican senators need to request such a meeting to make it happen.

McConnell is the longest-serving Senate Republican leader in US history, having held the post since 2007. If he were to step down before 2027, Kentucky law requires the governor to appoint a Republican replacement.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who unsuccessfully challenged McConnell for the leadership earlier this year, told CBS News that he foresaw no danger to the octogenarian’s position. 

“I expect he’ll continue to be the Republican leader through this term,” Scott said Wednesday. “We’ll have another election after the 2024 elections.”

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who is running for Senate in 2024, posted a picture of himself chatting with McConnell on X, formerly known as Twitter, which he said was taken Wednesday evening, hours after the second freeze.

“Enjoyed a wide-ranging discussion with @LeaderMcConnell this evening about the future of our country,” Banks tweeted. “I look forward to working with him on issues confronting our bordering states.”

Not all corners of the conservative community were so sympathetic.

“The time has come for the Kentucky senator, after his long, impressive run, to make the decision to step aside from leadership,” wrote the editors of National Review. “This obviously is not normal and affects his ability to function as the leading representative of his caucus.”