Republican Drops Bombshell Amid McConnell Health Scandal

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis has revealed that Mitch McConnell is his landlord, and that he has been renting a property adjacent to the 84-year-old’s D.C. home for months.

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The Republican rebel was approached by TMZ’s Charlie Cotton on Thursday just outside McConnell’s house in the capital, after the Kentucky senator’s office revealed that he had been discharged from a rehabilitation center to continue his recovery at home.

Tillis, 65, then said he is renting a carriage house from McConnell, which is a “separate edifice” from McConnell’s residence. He said he has been living there since he sold his condo in March and plans to stay in McConnell’s property until he retires at the end of his term in January.

“That’s why I’ve had so much fun. Everybody talking about the whole process,” Tillis said.

When asked whether he has spoken to McConnell amid concerns about his health, Tillis replied: “I understand he’s doing OK, got out of rehab. Well, hopefully he gets back.”

McConnell has disclosed for years that he rents out a carriage house in Washington. He revealed in his 2020 financial disclosure that he earned up to $50,000 a year from the property.

Tillis was spotted entering the house he rents from McConnell after the media flocked to the D.C. street on Thursday following the Kentucky Republican’s announcement that he would continue to recover at home.

“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” McConnell said in a statement.

Independent journalist Nicholas Ballasy recorded multiple people coming in and out of McConnell’s home—including Brian Monahan, the attending physician of Congress—but none provided any updates on McConnell’s condition.

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Monahan was previously criticized for giving a clean bill of health after the senator appeared to suffer two alarming medical episodes in 2023, when he froze and stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Ballasy also approached Terry Carmack, McConnell’s longtime chief of staff, who is on track to earn more than $226,000 this year, on Capitol Hill to ask whether he would release any video footage of the 84-year-old to “quell any of the speculation” surrounding the senator’s health. Carmack refused to answer any of Ballasy’s questions.

David Popp, a senior adviser to McConnell who made more than $224,000 in 2025, also refused to answer any questions from Ballasy about why the 84-year-old has not put out a video to put a stop to rumors about how seriously ill he remains.

For weeks, the Kentucky senator’s team had been condemned for not providing any meaningful updates on McConnell’s condition after it was revealed that he was found unconscious at his home and required CPR on the morning of June 14.

After increasing demands for a “proof of life” to be released, the senator’s team issued a photo of McConnell alongside his wife, Elaine Chao, on July 12, sitting upright in a hospital bed while holding that day’s copy of The Washington Post.

A second, similar photo of McConnell smiling while seated in a chair alongside Chao was released on July 27. There is still no photo of McConnell standing up or video of him talking, nearly two months after his hospitalization.

McConnell’s absence from the Senate could severely hinder the GOP’s attempts to push through Donald Trump’s agenda and bills ahead of a five-week recess starting Saturday.

A missing vote from McConnell could also jeopardize the chances of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, getting confirmed to lead the Department of Justice on a full-time basis.

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