(LEX NEWS) — Charles Booker, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, is calling on Sen. Mitch McConnell to be transparent about his health after conflicting reports emerged about the nature of his hospitalization.
Booker said Kentuckians deserve to know whether McConnell remains capable of serving in the Senate.
"Like every Kentuckian, I am concerned about the health of Senator Mitch McConnell," Booker said in a news release. "While I am certain he is receiving excellent care, I know from personal experience the fear and uncertainty our family and loved ones feel in the wake of a medical emergency. I am keeping them in my thoughts. While this is certainly a personal time for the Senator, our entire commonwealth and country are vested in Senator McConnell's ability to serve."
Booker pointed to what he described as contradictory accounts of McConnell's condition. Booker said new reporting revealed that emergency responders who were called to McConnell's home that same morning responded to a cardiac arrest and administered CPR.
"Those two accounts are hard to square. Kentuckians and Americans deserve to know which one reflects reality," Booker stated. "This is about representation and accountability. Senator McConnell holds a Senate seat representing millions of Kentuckians, and he has a responsibility to represent all of us. It's time we know what's happening. When we don't know if our senator is alert, conscious, or capable of serving, that's not a partisan question. It's a Kentucky one."
Booker said concerns about McConnell's capacity to serve predate the current hospitalization and called the situation "deeply concerning."
"What is clear is that we have known for some time that Mitch McConnell has lacked the capacity to represent us in the Senate. That fact, along with the developing news now, is deeply concerning. Continuing to ignore this is not leadership. It's elder abuse. And it's time for him to relinquish the business of Kentucky back to the people."
Booker called on McConnell to provide a transparent accounting of his condition to voters across party lines.
"Kentuckians of every stripe, from lifelong Republicans and Democrats to first-time voters, deserve a clear and honest answer about their senator's condition. This seat carries too much responsibility, and represents too many people, for anything less than real accountability. He, like every American, deserves great healthcare and transparent leadership," Booker concluded.
