Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) appeared to disagree with the Capitol Hill physician’s diagnosis of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) sudden freezes this summer.
Paul, who spent more than 25 years as an ophthalmologist, said McConnell’s episodes appeared more like a “focal neurological event,” such as a seizure or a stroke. However, Dr. Brian Monahan, the Capitol’s attending physician, said there was no evidence the 81-year-old senator had a stroke or seizure.
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“I’ve practiced medicine for 25 years, and it doesn’t look like dehydration to me,” Paul told a group of reporters. “It looks like a focal neurologic event. That doesn’t mean it’s incapacitating, doesn’t mean he can’t serve. But it means that somebody ought to wake up and say, ‘Wow, this looks like a seizure.’”
McConnell has experienced two freezing incidents this summer. The most recent occurred in Covington, Kentucky, when the senator trailed off and stared into the distance for nearly 30 seconds. He was led away after the incident, but he was cleared to return to normal activities later in the day. Monahan determined at the time that the incident was partly because of a concussion McConnell experienced in March and partly because of dehydration.
“I have consulted with Leader McConnell and conferred with his neurology team. After evaluating yesterday’s incident, I have informed Leader McConnell that he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned,” Monahan wrote in a note last week.
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McConnell relayed the results of his medical exams to Senate Republicans during his first GOP conference meeting since the incident. The senators have sounded a note of confidence in the minority leader as they returned to Washington from their six-week recess on Tuesday.
McConnell has maintained that he will finish out his term in the Senate, which will end in 2027.
