Mitch McConnell hospitalized after fall at D.C. hotel

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) "tripped at a local hotel during a private dinner," spokesman David Popp said in a statement late Wednesday. "He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment." Pope did not provide any additional information.

McConnell, 81, recently became the longest-serving Senate leader in U.S. history. In August 2019, when he was majority leader, McConnell tripped, fell, and fractured his shoulder at his home in Kentucky. After surgery to repair the fracture, McConnell worked from home for several weeks.

It's not clear how long McConnell will be out after this fall, if at all. But "the Senate, where the average age is 65, has been without several members recently due to illness," The Associated Press reports. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is out to treat clinical depression, while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), 89, said last week that she was hospitalized with shingles. Until now, Senate Republicans, with a slim 51-49 minority, "have had an easier time with intermittent absences," AP notes.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.