Andy Beshear urges Mitch McConnell to resign or disclose health status amid growing concerns

FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY:  As conspiracy theories around Kentucky’s Senator Mitch McConnell’s health continue to grow, the friction between Governor Andy Beshear and Senator McConnell is also intensifying, as the Democratic governor has warned the Senator to either resign or update on the current status of his health.

Earlier this month, Beshear claimed he had received two calls from agencies suggesting McConnell had died while he was in the hospital.

McConnell gets ultimatum to be transparent with health or resign

In a letter sent to McConnell on Tuesday, July 28, Andy Beshear told the senator to either publicly address his health or resign.

The letter came a day after McConnell's office released a new photo of the senator with his wife, Elaine Chao, along with a brief update on his condition.

“It has now been 43 days since news of your hospitalization, ” Beshear writes. “During that time you have cast zero votes, engaged in no official activities, and aside from two photos and corresponding statements, have made no effort to communicate with your Kentucky constituents or the nation.”

The letter further added, “I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.”

Beshear wants McConnell to be expelled

In the final blow, Beshear said he would ask Senate Majority Leader John Thune to “begin the process” of expelling McConnell from the Senate.

“If you are unwilling to voluntarily show that you still have the capacity to serve, I will insist Leader Thune fully investigate your condition, report to the American people, and begin the process if warranted,” the governor wrote.

In a month, this was the second time Beshear demanded transparency on McConnell's health, who has been absent from the Senate since June 14, when he was hospitalized following a severe fall that caused a brief loss of consciousness, alongside a subsequent case of pneumonia.

As a governor, when Beshear demanded transparency on health on July 8, McConnell’s office released a statement, informing that he is improving in health and is “working closely with his staff on Kentucky.”

“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,” McConnell’s office said in a statement.