A trio of GOP-aligned figures all claimed they had spoken with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for around 20 minutes on Tuesday amid growing speculation around the Kentucky Republican’s health, though a number of MAGA figures remain skeptical – including one prominent GOP lawmaker.
McConnell was hospitalized in mid-June, and his office initially released few details regarding the Kentucky Republicans’ health condition. New details emerged last week, however, that revealed McConnell was discovered unconscious in his home and had to be administered CPR, sparking questions as to whether a full recovery was even possible.
MAGA figures have increasingly demanded answers regarding McConnell’s health, with far-right influencer Laura Loomer – who wields “breathtaking influence” in the White House – claiming, without evidence, that McConnell was “officially brain dead.” And on Tuesday, it appeared as though several major GOP figures attempted to put rumors around McConnell’s health to bed.
GOP pundit Scott Jennings claimed Tuesday he had spoken with McConnell for around 20 minutes. Later that day, Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and John Barrasso (R-WY) both claimed they had also spoken with McConnell, and for around 20 minutes as well.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who was ousted in his recent GOP primary election by an opponent backed by President Donald Trump, took a sharp dig Tuesday evening at the apparent efforts by the GOP figures to put rumors surrounding McConnell to bed.
“I spoke to McConnell for about 20 minutes this morning,” Massie wrote jokingly in a social media post on X. “He said we should end the war with Iran, quit giving aid to Israel, stop spying on Americans without a warrant, and he’s really sorry about how my primary turned out.”
Massie’s remarks were almost certainly a sarcastic dig at McConnell’s neoconservative policy positions, having been a strong proponent of the U.S. war against Iran, U.S. foreign aid for Israel and legislation that expands the federal government’s ability to surveil Americans, such as the 2001 PATRIOT Act.
Other MAGA figures joined in on Massie’s mockery, such as Ivan Raiklin, a prominent 2020 election denier, who took a jab at the Justice Department’s (DOJ) refusal to release all of the files on Jeffrey Epstein in its possession.
“I also spoke with Mitch for 20 minutes,” Raiklin wrote in a social media post on X. “We discussed [Acting Attorney General] Todd Blanche finally releasing all [Justice Department] Epstein Files and for the ‘Epstein Files Transparency Act 2.0: the CIA Operational Files’ to be released.”
I spoke to McConnell for about 20 minutes this morning.
He said we should end the war with Iran, quit giving aid to Israel, stop spying on Americans without a warrant, and he’s really sorry about how my primary turned out.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 7, 2026