r/politics • u/IWantPizza555 • Jul 08 '26

No Paywall Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear requests update on Sen. Mitch McConnell's health

https://www.whas11.com/article/news/politics/national-politics/kentucky-governor-andy-beshear-requests-update-senator-mitch-mcconnell-health/417-b9252baa-29ab-489e-94f1-147aa41e78ed
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338

u/Sir_Ruje Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

My understanding is they can't even tell what hospital he's at due to patient confidentially. Idk if he or anyone even knows if he's in the state.

Edit: idk what hospital he's at but I guess it's known to some people. My b

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u/happyklam I voted Jul 08 '26

Then he needs to appoint a new Senator and let the courts handle determining proof of life otherwise his pick stays. 

202

u/therossboss Jul 08 '26

100% - we can't wait forever to know if Mitch is dead. We have to act as though he has passed because there is no evidence he is alive except LIAR'S WORDS.

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u/registered_democrat Jul 08 '26

A republican congressman was MIA for months and just resurfaced, so they've recently created precedent for exactly this

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u/therossboss Jul 08 '26

Indeed - Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) returned to the House floor in June 2026 after a nearly four-month paid absence, where he disclosed he was hospitalized and treated for depression.

Just collecting tax dollars for doing nothing. Gee, I wonder if any of his constituents can leave their job for 4 months unannounced, return, claim it was due to depression, and keep their job lmao

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u/Heppernaut Canada Jul 08 '26

They cannot, because Tom Kean Jr. has repeatedly voted against paid sick leave.

3

u/t3hdoct0r Jul 08 '26

Let's not forget Granger either.

2

u/cp710 Ohio Jul 08 '26

What’s worse is his constituents would hate a common person doing this.

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u/QskLogic Jul 08 '26

Beshear doesn’t get to pick a replacement. Can only hold a special election because republicans were worried about this exact thing and changed the law in 2024

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u/s0ulbrother Jul 08 '26

The law doesn’t bypass the state constitution so he should be able to

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u/mnstorm Jul 08 '26

That’s only for state seats, not congressional seats.

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u/TheCleverestIdiot Australia Jul 08 '26

You've misunderstood how it works. The Governor of Kentucky explicitly no longer has that power.

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u/DMCinDet Jul 08 '26

thay would be up to the courts. they wrote a law that could go against the state constitution. it has to be challenged with a case.

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u/Exciting-Tourist9301 Jul 08 '26

17th amendment of the US Constitution supersedes the State Constitution.

I wish Bashear could appoint an interim Senator, but legally, he cannot.

Edit: spelling is not my strong suite.

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u/firstcitytofall Jul 08 '26

They did not pass a constitutional amendment and the Kentucky Supreme Court recently sided with bersher on this, otherwise they probably wouldn’t care as much about hiding it.

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u/hexiron Jul 08 '26

The KY constitution dictates a federal Senate seat that is vacant be filled "as may be prescribed by law" - that law, as passed by KY GOP to bypass the governor, requires a special election to occur.

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u/jacen4501s Jul 08 '26

It's not part of the state constitution at all. The word "vacant" is only in the KY constitution once, and it's not in reference to federal senators. Senators weren't even elected when Kentucky formed its constitution. They were appointed. The 17th amendment (ratified 1913), which is the reason we directly elect senators now, empowers state legislatures to determine how vacant seats are filled and supercedes previous statutes. Legislatures MAY allow governors to appoint replacements. Kentucky's legislature decided that a special election always decides how vacant seats are filled. No appointments. No interim senators. It's not the only state to do it that way, although it is a minority position.

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u/Visual_Squirrel_2297 Jul 08 '26

vacancies in all elective offices

 Uhh, hard to misinterpret that.

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u/Exciting-Tourist9301 Jul 08 '26

The U.S. Constitution supersedes the State Constitution. (A la Federal Supremacy). Read the 17th amendment.

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u/Visual_Squirrel_2297 Jul 08 '26

This part?

Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments 

0

u/Exciting-Tourist9301 Jul 08 '26

Yes, and the KY state legislature has not empowered the executive to make temporary appointments.

KRS 118.720

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u/Visual_Squirrel_2297 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

Yes they have, by ratifying the state constitution. Passing an unconstitutional law doesn't supersede powers given the executive by the constitution.

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u/jacen4501s Jul 08 '26

And yet you did. US Senate seats weren't elective offices prior to 1913, so that wasn't relevant, even then. That section was added before the 17th amendment was passed. Regardless, US constitution supercedes state constitutions. It's the supreme law of the land.

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u/Visual_Squirrel_2297 Jul 08 '26

It doesn't say all elective offices at time of writing now does it? It says all elective offices. 

The "supreme law of the land" states 

the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments

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u/jacen4501s Jul 08 '26

MAY. And the KY legislature did not.

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u/Visual_Squirrel_2297 Jul 08 '26

Sure they did, when ratifying the state constitution, speaking of supremacy. There's a word for laws that contradict the constitution : unconstitutional. If the legislature wants to remove the power they already granted to the executive in the state constitution, they need to amend the constitution, not pass an unconstitutional law. 

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u/Jwalla83 Colorado Jul 08 '26

Which is a weird change because, from what I understand about the previous protocol, Beshear would’ve had to appoint a replacement from the same party and his options would’ve been limited to a shortlist provided by the party. Right?

But in a special election, a Democrat has a (teeny) chance of winning. Why would they make that change?

Also it’d be beautiful if this all led to Kentucky somehow being the midterm senate seat that tipped senate control to Dems.

1

u/griffWWK I voted Jul 08 '26

yea this is ban bait, good try though.

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u/OptimusSublime Pennsylvania Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

Exactly. The Republican love passing shit and doing shit that they know will eventually get challenged in court. But by that point the damage (and destruction) is literally done and it's too late to change it. Just do it.

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u/AnonymousCelery Jul 08 '26

Kentucky GOP saw this coming years ago and cut off that option

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u/Pherllerp New Jersey Jul 08 '26

No. They passed a law that they think can bypass the state constitution.

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u/The_Platypus_Says Jul 08 '26

They passed a constitutional amendment? When?

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u/hexiron Jul 08 '26

The KY state constitution only defines filling federal vacancies "as prescribed by law". Only State level offices only have the enshrined power of appointments.

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u/Pherllerp New Jersey Jul 08 '26

Bingo.

They don't follow procedure, he shouldn't. Do the thing and let the court work it out over the course of 6 agonizing months.

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u/lnc_5103 Texas Jul 08 '26

This is the way. Call the special election citing that he's unable to fulfill his duties and force them to prove McConnell is alive.

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u/suprahelix Jul 08 '26

He can’t and the courts wouldn’t take the case

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u/COMM_NTARIAT Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

An elderly man is likely being abused; Beshear needs to file a missing persons report. The KSP should be able to locate him by EOD.

11

u/WaitForItTheMongols Jul 08 '26

How would Explosive Ordnance Disposal be able to help locate him?

3

u/mellcrisp America Jul 08 '26

Lol this sub sometimes

2

u/BotF_Latyon Jul 08 '26

Give him a break. He’s a military guy

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u/turquoise_amethyst Jul 09 '26

Can anyone file a missing persons report? What if everyone in his state files one for him. Where is he?

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u/d_pyro Canada Jul 08 '26

He's in DC. Just check the hospitals closest to his DC office.

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u/old_righty Jul 08 '26

Walter Reed, almost certainly. Not so easy to just walk in though.

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u/Melicor Jul 08 '26

Assuming he's not completely dead, he's been missing for weeks now.

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u/hexiron Jul 08 '26

If he's dead there would be an available death certificate filed.

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u/turquoise_amethyst Jul 09 '26

If the cause of death is complex, requires an autopsy, or is under investigation by a medical examiner, it can take ** 6 to 12 weeks  or longer** to get a death certificate 

My dad was in a freak accident, and required an autopsy. It took like two months to get a death certificate (also LA County lost his body… thanks LA) 

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u/hexiron Jul 09 '26

He's 84 and in a hospital. The death is neither complex, and if an autopsy is needed the pathologists at the hospital will do it that day.

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u/notimpressedimo I voted Jul 08 '26

He is at George Washington University Hospital.

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u/jeremyj1992 Jul 08 '26

My guess would be he's at the hospital that happens to also have federal security guards standing in the halls

2

u/Oprah_Pwnfrey Jul 08 '26

They could be guarding any number of geriatric elected officials.

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u/NoPossibility Jul 08 '26

Walk the halls and look for the room with a pair of Secret Service guys suspiciously hanging out by the door.

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u/BotF_Latyon Jul 08 '26

Get the Scientology raid kids and the Area 51 raid kids to guerilla rush the hospital and find his toe tag in the morgue

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u/Pretend_Spray_11 Jul 08 '26

Who in this scenario do you think has a secret service detail?

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u/NoPossibility Jul 08 '26

I’m implying Trump would be having his loyal goons keeping things tidy until a special election can’t be held. This would prevent Massie from getting another seat in congress.

1

u/Next-Hovercraft-8629 Jul 08 '26

Members of Congress and Senate?

It is their job to protect the politicians. They literally have teams of multiple agents doing 24/7 on the more controversial members

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u/ReelNerdyinFl Jul 08 '26

Iirc the reporter who broke the 911/emt radio call is actually waiting at the hospital for them to move Mitch.

No source but saw it in another thread

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u/rabidrooster3 Jul 08 '26

I saw the same thing

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u/PatronSaintOfCunts Jul 08 '26

They’d know by the 911 call that was released, wouldn’t they?

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u/wildwalrusaur Jul 08 '26

You make a political stunt out of it then.

Take a camera crew and go from hospital to hospital in whatever town he lives in telling them that you're the governor of Kentucky and you're here to see the Senator.

Politics is theatre.

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u/BigBennP Jul 08 '26

Usually, the name of a patient is not specifically protected unless the name is linked to health information. However, it is relatively common that hospitals might keep a name confidential if the family or the patient has requested it.

If my coworker Sally had gone to the hospital and I call the hospital and say hey I'm looking to confirm that Sally Jones is a patient there so I can send her flowers the hospital will confirm that. They may or may not tell me what room she's in because that could reveal something about her condition. Merely saying she's in room 403 might not but saying that she's in the ICU might.

On the other hand, for a celebrity of any kind it would not be abnormal for the patient or the family to ask that the hospital keep that information on lockdown.

Releasing any information about his status prognosis or condition would absolutely be protected health information that the hospital could not release.

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u/rabidrooster3 Jul 08 '26

Didn't someone say they were at the hospital that had his for guards or whatever and they were going to camp out until they moved him?

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u/angus_ubangus Maryland Jul 08 '26

He’s at George Washington Hospital.

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u/starliteburnsbrite Jul 08 '26

Given the state of healthcare in Kentucky due to good ol Mitch, I guarantee he's not receiving treatment there. 

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u/griffWWK I voted Jul 08 '26

sounds like the senator is MIA and should be replaced then. that is, if kentucky had any balls.

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u/jacksonwallburger Jul 08 '26

I thought we knew that Capitol Police were still watching him at George Washington Hospital in D.C.

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u/bitchesandsake Jul 08 '26

We know where he is lol

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u/Chief_Chill Illinois Jul 08 '26

Can't his "employers" demand proof? I mean, I know if I didn't show up for work, there would likely be some police coming by for a welfare check or something.

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u/SaltyMeadows Tennessee Jul 08 '26

Where’s a HIPAA-violating hero when you need one?

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u/LateSoEarly Georgia Jul 08 '26

There’s that one picture circulating of him in the hospital bed hooked up to a bunch of machines. I don’t know if it’s real or not but my wife who’s a nurse said if it’s real he’s not recovering.

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u/turquoise_amethyst Jul 09 '26

I’d guess they’d have moved him already, if he isn’t dead. 

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u/pleasetrimyourpubes Jul 08 '26

That's silly. You can call up a hospital and ask if they have a patient. They may have directed the hospital not to say due to the nature of it but there's like no law against that. Source: homeless bums always calling about my friends. One of my drunk friends is currently vacationing after throwing up blood.