Former Republican leader in the upper chamber of Congress, M. McConnell actively supported the allocation of billions of dollars to Ukraine during Joe Biden’s presidency. Recently, he demanded accountability from the Department of Defense for the $400 million in weapons approved by Congress for Kyiv that “gather dust in the Pentagon.”
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M. McConnell has not appeared at work for several weeks, sparking rumors about the 84-year-old senator’s health. On Sunday, he announced that he fell in June and was subsequently hospitalized, CNN reports.
“I lost consciousness”
“Doctors confirmed that I have no fractures or concussion. I did not have a heart attack or stroke. I have no tumors or bruises. However, I briefly lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital,” said M. McConnell, sharing a photo with his wife and the Sunday edition of The Washington Post opened to the sports section.
He is currently in a rehabilitation center and “will not be able to return to the Senate chamber to participate in voting for now,” but continues to “work intensively” on the legislative agenda.
M. McConnell chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and criticized the Pentagon at the end of April for delaying the $400 million allocation for purchasing weapons for Ukraine from American companies. This amount is reserved in the budget, but the Pentagon refuses to provide information on why the funds have not yet been transferred, M. McConnell wrote in The Washington Post.
The allocation of funds is important for the national security of the United States itself, M. McConnell insisted:
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“[Donald] Trump’s desire to end the war is a noble goal. However, the cost of peace and its stability are also important. The Pentagon’s approach – delaying support for Ukraine – is essentially the same strategy that President Joe Biden has followed. Not to mention that indecisiveness in providing Ukraine with necessary aid weakens its ability to defend against aggression and harms the prospects for diplomatic negotiations.”
Graham died of aortic rupture
On Saturday, before M. McConnell’s announcement about hospitalization, 71-year-old Senator L. Graham suddenly died – reportedly due to an aortic rupture.
This happened after he returned from Ukraine, where he visited following the NATO summit in Turkey. In Kyiv, L. Graham, who closely collaborated with D. Trump, spoke about the final coordination of the “hellish sanctions” bill against Russia with the administration. This bill, among other things, grants the U.S. president the authority to impose 500 percent tariffs on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil, gas, and uranium.
M. McConnell had polio as a child. Its effects likely began to manifest in recent years, CNN notes. The senator has fallen several times and suffered bone fractures, lost consciousness, and once froze during a press conference, unable to continue speaking.
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