Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) believes that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) exhibited signs of a “focal neurologic event” during his latest freeze at the podium last week and argued it is “an inadequate explanation to say this is dehydration.”
Paul, an ophthalmologist, spoke with reporters about McConnell on Tuesday night and seemed to take issue with Capitol attending physician Dr. Brian Monahan’s classification of the episode.
“I think it’s an inadequate explanation to say this is dehydration. I’ve practiced medicine for 25 years, and it doesn’t look like dehydration to me. It looks like a focal neurologic event,” Paul explained, according to Forbes’ footage of the interview. He emphasized this “doesn’t mean it’s incapacitating.”
“It doesn’t mean he can’t serve, but it means that somebody ought to wake up and say, ‘Wow, this looks like a seizure,’” Paul said.
BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Mitch McConnell appearing to have another scary episode in the media gaggle in Covington today. Aides had to step in to help him out and repeat questions. He was eventually lead away. We'll have the full video on @WLWT pic.twitter.com/q9ex5MHxLV
— Hannah Thomas (@HannahPThomas) August 30, 2023
Monahan, on August 31, medically cleared McConnell for duty after “consulting with his neurological team.”
“Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration,” Monahan wrote. Notably, McConnell suffered a concussion after falling at a Washington hotel in March and was sidelined for six weeks during his recovery.
According to Fox News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram, Paul also stated roughly a quarter of those who suffer brain trauma will suffer from “post-traumatic epilepsy.”
3) Paul: Well, after brain trauma, about 25% of people can get seizures called Post Traumatic epilepsy or post traumatic seizures. Of those seizures. If they're short. If they're less than two minutes, only about 17% of them will show up on an EEG.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 5, 2023
Paul said, according to Pergram:
Inthink [sic] it’s an inadequate explanation explanation [sic] to say this is dehydration..when someone who has a seizure doesn’t always show up on an EEG, so the person out there who’s saying, “Oh, it’s dehydration says he has a normal EEG.”
Well, after brain trauma, about 25% of people can get seizures called Post Traumatic epilepsy or post traumatic seizures. Of those seizures. If they’re short. If they’re less than two minutes, only about 17% of them will show up on an EEG.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) defended McConnell while speaking with reporters Tuesday, saying, “I don’t think he has shown any inability to lead in negotiations, to raise money to get Republicans elected to help guide our caucus.”
“He has shown he has done that in the past; he’s going to continue doing that in the future, so I’m firmly behind his remaining as our leader,” Romney added.
McConnell’s freeze last week followed a similar incident at the end of July when he inexplicably froze during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol. He had to be helped from the podium and later returned, telling reporters he was “fine.”
WATCH: Mitch McConnell Freezes Mid-Speech, Led Away from Podium
C-SPANSen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) told Forbes, “I was concerned on the first one and the last freeze up.”
“But since he fell, now, he’s been struggling. I hope he can continue. I’m sure it’s still going to be up to him most of the way,” Tuberville said.
