Andy Beshear says Mitch McConnell has to 'prove' he can do his job after months-long absence

WASHINGTON, DC: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is demanding that Senator Mitch McConnell demonstrate he can serve as a day-to-day senator after returning to the Senate following a roughly three-month absence.

McConnell, 84, on Monday, September 14, appeared in a wheelchair to the US Senate and said he planned to “get back to more of business as usual.” Beshear said the return was a step forward but argued that McConnell still owes Kentucky voters an explanation about his health and ability to carry out his duties.

Andy Beshear asks Mitch McConnell to prove he can serve

Beshear, a Democrat, told LEX News that he was glad McConnell had returned but said the senator needed to do more to address questions surrounding his prolonged absence. “I still think he has an obligation to prove to the people of Kentucky that he has the capacity to represent us and represent us well. That means being able to come day after day, to serve on committees,” he said.

Beshear said Kentucky needs two senators who are able to regularly participate in Senate business and called on McConnell to speak directly with constituents about what he has experienced and what they should expect going forward.

“We need to make sure we have two active US senators. Now, he's taken a step in the right direction. But it's my hope that he will talk to the people of Kentucky, be straight about what he's going through and that he can show us he has the capacity to be a day-to-day US senator,” Beshear said.

Beshear echoed those remarks in another interview, saying that "he'll now need to show he's able to participate on a daily basis to represent Kentuckians, but certainly he showed up yesterday, he answered a couple of questions, and he took a vote.”

McConnell, in a statement, said that he would “get back to more of business as usual,” while adding, “I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”

Questions remain over Mitch McConnell’s absence

McConnell’s limited public appearances during his absence had prompted repeated questions from Beshear. The governor previously said he had been unable to reach McConnell and urged him to provide a brief video update to Kentucky voters.

“All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox News for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he’s supposed to serve. “But you know what? He absolutely refuses to do it,” Beshear said last month. 

McConnell’s office has previously debunked speculation about his health and death rumours. In July, photos of McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, were released along with a statement attributed to the senator. “My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages,” the statement read.

Beshear has also criticized Senate leadership over the issue, saying that Senate Majority Leader John Thune had a responsibility to ensure senators could carry out their duties. “John Thune, as the leader of the senate you’ve got a duty to make sure all of your senators have the capacity to serve, and what is he saying? ‘Not my job,’” he said.