Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has called on Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to provide a health update or step down amid growing concerns about the Senator’s ability to fulfill his duties.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has called on Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to resign if he is unable to fulfill his duties due to health issues. 📺 DETAIL: The 84-year-old McConnell was hospitalized back in June after he was found unconscious at his home. It was later claimed that he had suffered “a mild case of pneumonia.” He subsequently issued a statement on July 12 claiming to be recovering, but information regarding his condition has been limited. “As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you,” wrote the Senator earlier this month. Democrat Governor of Kentucky Andy Beshear had previously written to Sen. McConnell requesting an update, but received no immediate reply. On Thursday, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez called for Sen. McConnell to resign. “I understand that people have a right to medical privacy to deal with their issues, but we do not have the right to disappear from our jobs without explanation,” said the Representative. “If he can’t give us an update, he should resign, absolutely… I think it’s been very clear to people across Kentucky that his ‘update’ was not sufficient,” she said earlier this week. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “If Senator McConnell is not capable of as basic a task as answering a letter to Governor Beshear, I think that that conveys a very disturbing inability to fulfill his duties.” – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 🎯 IMPACT: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s demand for Sen. McConnell’s resignation is likely to garner support. Earlier this week, it was revealed that the New York Representative had topped a Democrat primary poll in New Hampshire. As one of the earliest states in the primary process, it is a vital state for a candidate seeking the Presidency to secure in order to gain momentum. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez secured 22 percent in the poll, followed closely by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on 21 percent. McConnell’s resignation would end the Senator’s lengthy congressional career, which started back in 1985. |
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