Washington — On the same morning Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell was hospitalized last month, emergency medical personnel went to his home to respond to an unconscious person who appeared to experience “cardiac arrest,” according to a public EMS dispatch call reviewed by CBS News.
During the recording, a dispatcher called in a “cardiac arrest” and a medic said there was “CPR in progress” at McConnell’s address. The dispatcher also said somebody was “unconscious.” The call came in before 9 a.m. on June 14. The senator’s name is not mentioned during the call, and CBS News has not confirmed the identity of the unconscious person.
Audio of the call was first shared by journalist Desiree Townsend.
On the same day as the dispatch call, a spokesperson for McConnell said in a statement that the Kentucky Republican was hospitalized and was “receiving excellent care.” No details were provided about why he was admitted or where.
In a statement the next day, the spokesperson said McConnell — who was previously the Senate’s top Republican — “is fully engaged with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters.”
That day, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he spoke with McConnell and he “sounded good.”
“He’s clearly dialed into what’s going on,” the South Dakota Republican said on June 15. “He’s following the stuff we’re doing this week up here.”
McConnell last voted on June 11.
CBS News has reached out to McConnell’s office for comment.
McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, has faced several health scares in recent years. In a May 19 committee hearing, the 84-year-old was seen with a bandage around his hand. In February, McConnell spent more than a week in the hospital after he checked himself in for “flu-like symptoms.”
In 2023, he was hospitalized with a concussion after a fall and later appeared to freeze in two separate instances. He suffered minor injuries in 2024 after another fall.
