Scott Jennings Doubles Down on His Shock Mitch Health Claims

Politics admin July 9, 2026 0 Comments

Scott Jennings Doubles Down on His Shock Mitch Health Claims

One of Mitch McConnell’s longtime confidantes claims the Senate Republican is preparing to return to work, pushing back on mounting speculation that he is “dead or a vegetable.”

But CNN’s MAGA mouthpiece Scott Jennings also acknowledged on Thursday that McConnell’s office should have been more forthcoming about his health, and believes an announcement could be imminent.

Speaking to Jake Tapper on CNN, Jennings said he had not spoken directly to McConnell today but had been in contact with the senator’s senior staff, who painted a picture of a leader continuing to receive briefings from his office.

“I have not,” Jennings said, when asked if he had been in contact with McConnell since their conversation earlier this week when he claimed they had spoken for 20 minutes about everything from Ukraine to Senate history.

“I have been in touch with the staff. In fact, I was speaking with some of his senior staff today, and I know he was actually meeting with some of his staff late this afternoon about a few issues going on over at the Senate.”

“And truthfully, it sounded to me like somebody who was preparing at some point to go back to work,” he said. “Now, whether that means go back to work soon or go back to work eventually, I don’t know. But I do know he was meeting with his staff today and getting some briefings on a few issues.”

The comments are the latest attempt by McConnell allies to counter persistent rumors about the 84-year-old’s health after his apparent cardiac arrest and prolonged hospitalization on June 14.

Emergency dispatch audio obtained by independent journalist Desirée Townsend revealed that first responders had arrived on the scene of McConnell’s home to “CPR in progress” due to “cardiac arrest.”

Online speculation has ranged from claims that the Kentucky Republican is in intensive rehabilitation to assertions that he is no longer capable of carrying out his duties.

But Jennings dismissed those claims, telling CNN: “I think he’s going to finish his term, and I think, frankly Jake, all the speculation about him, you know, being dead or being a vegetable, or being in organ failure… that’s not true.”

Jennings’s latest assurances come after McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, publicly addressed the senator’s condition after the hospitalization.

The former transportation secretary revealed to the Daily Beast that she had not even flown to his bedside when he was taken to the hospital after being found unconscious and given CPR.

She said through a spokesperson this week that her husband’s condition “did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.” while she was on a pre-planned trip to China.

But even with the reassurances of allies, McConnell’s office has yet to provide substantive details about his condition or any timetable for his return to the Senate.

McConnell’s office has simply maintained that the longtime Republican leader is continuing his recovery, but has provided few details about his prognosis.