Sen. Mitch McConnell has now gone 80 days without a single public appearance since his June 14 hospitalization, and the silence from his office is only fueling more speculation about the 84-year-old's true condition.
It's been nearly a month since McConnell's team offered any real update, despite the Kentucky Republican having already missed 60 votes in Congress on everything from an Iran war powers resolution to Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation — no small matter given Republicans hold only a narrow Senate majority.
The Daily Beast visited McConnell's Washington, D.C. residence this week and found it heavily guarded: three unmarked SUVs with tinted windows, plus marked Capitol Police cars stationed at each end of the street. Most curtains stayed drawn, though a first-floor window was open and no mail had piled up outside, unlike during his earlier hospitalization.
All of this, The Beast's Sarah Ewall-Wice and Farrah Tomazin reported, "has become the talk of Congress, with confusion growing over why the veteran lawmaker has insisted on keeping his Kentucky constituents and his party in the dark."
McConnell's office released just two "proof-of-life" photos since his disappearance, the most recent on July 27, both showing him smiling beside wife Elaine Chao without offering any real insight into his health. His office ignored the Daily Beast's questions ahead of the 80-day mark and hasn't confirmed whether he'll return when the Senate reconvenes September 14.
Despite his absence, aides have kept speaking on McConnell's behalf back home. His state director apologized on his behalf at a Louisville housing event last month, and a written statement was released under his name.
"I'm grateful his vision became a reality and to know that his legacy will continue to make a difference for Kentuckians who need a helping hand," the August 20 statement read.
Kentucky Republican lawmakers say they expect McConnell back later this month, though they admit that expectation is based on conversations with GOP leadership and staff, not McConnell himself. Senate Majority Leader John Thune's office did not respond to questions about when he last actually spoke with McConnell directly.
McConnell is not alone in a long and mysterious absence this year; Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) abruptly vanished for months, finally revealing after his return that he was being treated for depression.