Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is "perfectly capable" of doing his work despite freezing while speaking during a press conference last week, Sen. Mike Rounds said Sunday.
"Spoke with Mitch yesterday afternoon and told him I was going to be doing an interview, and I wanted to personally touch base with him before I did that," the South Dakota Republican said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union." "He was in good shape. He was direct."
Rounds said that McConnell, R-Ky., told him that he was warned by his physician, Dr. Brian Monahan that he could suffer from occasional lightheadedness in connection with a concussion he suffered earlier this year.
"He felt good yesterday," said Rounds. "He said he's got to watch his hydration levels. Dr. Monahan, who is also my physician … said that if Mitch is ready to go, then Mitch is ready to go. But Mitch will come back in front of us and discuss it with the entire team. He's been busy working around his own state and doing the fundraising that is required of a leader and that is been a big job for him as well during this break."
McConnell, while speaking at a press conference in Kentucky last Wednesday, paused for almost 30 seconds after a reporter asked him if he plans to seek reelection in 2026.
He had a similar incident in July during a Capitol press conference.
McConnell, 81, is the longest-serving Senate party leader, and the freezing incidents are spurring concerns about his future and his ability to serve.
"Mitch is sharp and he is shrewd," Rounds said. "He understands what needs to be done. I’ll leave it up to him as to how he wants to discuss that with the American public, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he is perfectly capable of continuing on at this stage of the game."
Rounds added that he's comfortable with McConnell remaining in the party's top spot.
"There are a lot of folks that would like to see him go because he's a capable leader, and if you could take him out of the leadership role in advance, you might end up in a better position if you were a competitor of his," said Rounds. "On the Republican side, we understand that he's good for our party and he sees the long road ahead.
"He looks a long way ahead and when the rest of us are sitting back, he's the guy that takes the spears and the arrows … he's the right guy and at this stage of the game, I think he'll continue on."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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