GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell hospitalised after fall

A spokesman said the Senate Republican leader is under observation after suffering a concussion.

Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican caucus in the United States Senate, has been hospitalized after a fall at a hotel in Washington, DC.

In a statement on Thursday, a spokesman for the Republican leader said McConnell would remain in the hospital for several days for “observation and treatment.”

The 81-year-old lawmaker is being treated for a concussion after tripping during a dinner party Wednesday night for the Senate Leadership Fund, which donates money to political campaigns in support of the Republican Party.

President Joe Biden wished McConnell a “speedy recovery” via Twitter on Thursday.

McConnell has earned a reputation as a shrewd tactician and one of the most powerful figures in American politics, wielding his power to thwart his rivals’ agendas and advance the priorities of conservative groups in areas such as the judiciary.

Jill and I wish Senator McConnell a speedy recovery.

We look forward to seeing him back on the Senate floor.

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 9, 2023

In 2016, McConnell infuriated his Democratic rivals when he refused to consider then-President Barack Obama’s nominee for an empty Supreme Court seat. Democrats accused McConnell of obstruction, and the move helped Republicans win their current 6-3 conservative majority in the nation’s highest court.

That majority helped pave the way for events such as the court’s decision to roll back abortion rights by reversing them

That majority helped pave the way for the court’s June decision to reverse abortion rights by overturning the 1973 Roe v Wade precedent.

McConnell has at times clashed with fellow Republican Donald Trump, resisting the former president’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him. McConnell has also helped maintain a consensus on US support for Ukraine, despite the disagreements of far-right members of his party.

The Republican leader has suffered injuries before, such as when he tripped and fell at his home in Kentucky in 2019, breaking his shoulder.

First elected in 1984, McConnell became the longest-serving Senate Majority Leader this year, surpassing a previous record of 16 years.

“I joined with all my colleagues in wishing Leader McConnell a speedy and full recovery,” Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday.

McConnell spokesman David Popp, meanwhile, said the senator is “grateful to medical professionals for their care and his colleagues for their warm wishes.”