{"id":4901,"date":"2026-08-04T17:43:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T17:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationwideinterstatemovers.com\/?p=4901"},"modified":"2026-08-04T17:43:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T17:43:21","slug":"mcconnells-staff-raking-in-six-figure-sum-in-his-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationwideinterstatemovers.com\/?p=4901","title":{"rendered":"McConnell\u2019s Staff Raking in Six-Figure Sum in His Absence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the seven weeks that former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been absent from the upper chamber, his staff has continued to earn tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

Read more CBS Boss Frantically Backtracks After Sucking Up to Trump<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kentucky senator\u2019s six highest-paid staffers earned a combined $173,200 pre-tax in the past 50 days that he has been missing from Capitol Hill, a Daily Beast analysis can reveal. <\/p>\n

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When accounting for the rest of McConnell\u2019s office, which has about 40 staffers including low-level employees, the Daily Beast calculated that his entire staff received around $485,800 pre-tax in the last 50 days that their boss has been missing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

McConnell\u2019s Senate office is led by his camera-shy chief of staff Terry Carmack, who receives an annual salary of $226,000. The senator\u2019s communications director, Stephanie Penn, earns about $214,000 per year, even as she has presided over this PR fiasco.<\/p>\n

Other top earners on his staff include his operations director, Melissa Bennet, who earns $226,000 per year, and his state director, Robbin Taylor, who also earns $226,000 per year.<\/p>\n

McConnell was taken to the hospital on June 14, which his staff did not address until July 2. <\/p>\n

After much speculation about his condition, an update from McConnell asserted that he did not suffer \u201ca heart attack or a stroke,\u201d even as a 911 call to his residence mentioned cardiac arrest at the time he was taken to the hospital. <\/p>\n

McConnell asserted he was taken to the hospital after a fall and was \u201cbriefly unconscious,\u201d adding that he subsequently \u201chad to deal with a mild case of pneumonia\u201d while recovering. In that update, he attached a picture of himself holding the day\u2019s newspaper alongside his wife, Elaine Chao, a former official in the Bush administration and the first Trump administration. <\/p>\n

His staff has repeatedly declined to provide further information on the state of McConnell\u2019s health, only giving vague updates insisting that he is still working on Senate matters and that he \u201cappreciates the outpouring of support\u201d while continuing treatment.<\/p>\n

The Daily Beast has again reached out to McConnell\u2019s Senate office for comment, but did not receive a response. <\/p>\n

Read more Billionaire Republican Megadonor Pulls the Plug on Trump\u2019s Party<\/a><\/p>\n

On Monday, Penn, the communications director, was seen on Capitol Hill as she was pressed on McConnell\u2019s prolonged absence. She grinned and smirked while remaining silent as independent journalist Desiree Townsend hammered her with questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think it is fair that your office and the other staffers are still getting paid while Kentuckians go without representation?\u201d Townsend asked Penn, who just gave a broad smile and continued walking. <\/p>\n

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Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s communications director, Stephanie Penn, refused to answer questions and simply smiled when asked whether it\u2019s fair that she and other staffers continue to be paid while Kentuckians go without representation in the Senate. pic.twitter.com\/oFnkDMzlRk<\/p>\n

\u2014 Desir\u00e9e Townsend (@Cheering4Change) August 3, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Senate leadership, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, as well as CNN\u2019s in-house MAGA advocate Scott Jennings, have all claimed that they have been in contact with McConnell via 20-minute phone calls.<\/p>\n

But some Senate Republicans have grown frustrated that they do not know more about his condition, especially given the party\u2019s razor-thin majority in the upper chamber ahead of high-stakes votes to advance President Donald Trump\u2019s agenda ahead of the scheduled August recess. <\/p>\n

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has also pushed for more answers about the senator\u2019s mysterious health issues.<\/p>\n

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Even Trump appears unconvinced that McConnell is doing as well as his staff claims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t hear much. I was, uh, never a huge fan,\u201d the president admitted earlier this month, adding, \u201cI hope he\u2019s going to be fine. I\u2014I don\u2019t know if he\u2019s fine, but I certainly hope he\u2019s going to be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s Staggering Missile Crisis Revealed<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the seven weeks that former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been absent from the upper chamber, his staff has continued to earn tens of thousands of dollars. Read more CBS Boss Frantically Backtracks After Sucking Up to Trump The Kentucky senator\u2019s six highest-paid staffers earned a combined $173,200 pre-tax in the past 50 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nMcConnell\u2019s Staff Raking in Six-Figure Sum in His Absence - Nationwide Inter State Movers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationwideinterstatemovers.com\/?p=4901\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"McConnell\u2019s Staff Raking in Six-Figure Sum in His Absence - Nationwide Inter State Movers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the seven weeks that former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been absent from the upper chamber, his staff has continued to earn tens of thousands of dollars. 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