CNN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta weighs in on McConnell freezing at press conference

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta discusses Sen. Mitch McConnell freezing during a press conference. The senator said he was “fine” after he returned to speak a few minutes later. #CNN #News

Transcript

Senate Minority Leader, the Republican, Mitch McConnell, says he is fine after a truly unnerving movement on Capitol Hill. On camera this afternoon, McConnell stopped speaking for some 30 seconds right in the middle of remarks at his regularly scheduled news conference. Here is that moment After finishing the NDAA, this week has been

Good bipartisan cooperation and a string of stuff that Senator Clinton said during the show. To make this change. Anything else you want to say? I’m sure to go back to do you want to say anything else to the press? John Dickerson, let’s go back to you. Go ahead, John.

Quite a concerning moment there. CNN’s Michael Rogers on Capitol Hill. He was there as it was happening. And want to understand. You spoke to the senator himself afterwards. What did he say to you? Yeah, he didn’t really get into the details about what happened. I tried to ask him about that

Very unnerving moment that alarmed his colleagues that sent Senator McConnell away from this weekly press conference. He walked over to his office, which is a short walk from where that press conference was. And then he later returned and answered questions from reporters like me when I asked him about this

And whether he can continue to do his job. He indicated he could Could you address what happened here at the start of the press conference and it was related to your injury from earlier this year where you suffered a concussion. Is that going to define your fully able to, you know,

Do your job, you know, later tonight Now, McConnell aide told me that the leader at that moment felt lightheaded. And then he came back and he answered questions over. It’s about five questions or so on a range of issues, ranging from impeachment to the Hunter Biden plea deal that collapsed.

But there have been a number of questions about McConnell’s health since earlier this year when at the age of 81 he fell and hit his head at a Washington hotel during an event. He later suffered a concussion as well as sustained fractures to his ribs. He when he went to the hospital

For some time, he was out of the Senate for several weeks later returned. He has been walking, tends to walk gingerly it’s been that way for some time because he suffered polio as a kid. He walks with a slight limp. But in recent years, he has had incidents where he has fallen.

And the most recent one, of course, causing a lot of concerns about his health. Now, there was another situation a couple of months ago when at the same weekly press conference that he has, he couldn’t hear reporters questions who were clearly audible. The questions were very audible. They were nearby.

He had a difficult time hearing. And in another situation that’s raising questions about his health. Now, McConnell indicating that he’s not going anywhere, that he plans to serve out at least through the end of this Congress. He’s not up for reelection again until 20, 26 he has not made any announcements

About whether you try to become leader again in the next Congress or whether he’d run for reelection again. But this will only add to questions about his future in this very unnerving moment. Jim. Manu Raju on the Hill, thanks so much. So let’s put some of those questions to Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Dr.

Gupta, I always hesitate to ask you to diagnose from afar, but this is your field. And I wonder, as you saw that really heart wrenching. 30 some seconds there of that pause, freezing up. What struck you as significant Well, that was concerning. There’s no no question about it. And I and I think

He’s going to need a thorough examination and workup. And I’m sure his doctors will probably look at that clip just to sort of try and figure out what exactly happened there. I think, you know, I mean, there’s all sorts of things that that come to mind. But as you correctly point out, Jim,

Some of those things will will become clearer once he gets a more thorough examination. Common things being common. You have to wonder if someone is dehydrated. Did they? Is this some kind of medication side effect? But also, you know, more seriously, was this a petite mal seizure? A mini seizure, so to speak,

Or even a transient ischemic attack? A sort of mini stroke? Again, that’s speculation. And, you know, but but it’s interesting. Manu asked that question. I was just looking at the clock for about 23 seconds. He was standing at the lectern before someone asked if he was okay. And then it was 32 seconds

When he sort of walked off. When he was walking off, he was moving his arms and his legs. Okay. So that was a good sign that what had happened seemed like it had started to resolve and then I think it was about 12 minutes later when Manu asked him that question.

And he sort of said he was doing okay. But clearly something happened there. You have to you have to assume common things are common, first of all. But you do have to also rule out potentially more serious things. And he needs an exam. He needs. He says he’s fine.

But he needs to get checked out clearly. I asked Monitor that if he got an immediate exam. To his knowledge, he did not. I think when I’m thinking of older relatives, for instance, see the acronym right. Be fast, right. You look at various symptoms. If, for instance, that were a stroke.

Balance eye movement face, droopy bit. But a key part of it. Right, is is quick a quick assessment. If a relative of yours, say, or a patient of yours exhibited such symptoms, you would recommend that they see they seek medical care or at least an assessment right away. Absolutely.

I mean, time is is critically important. Again, I don’t want to overstate this, you know, and be careful in terms of how we’re presenting this. But but I think that there was clearly some sort of neurological event that happened there, whether it was just because of dehydration, or medication

Or something like that, perhaps. But that was, again. 23 seconds before he was asked if he was okay. 32 seconds before he left the lectern they watched closely. Again, he was doing it of his own power, you know, so he talked about that acronym. One of the things they’re testing for is strength.

And it appeared that he had strength on both the right and left side of his body. But but a mini seizure, a mini stroke, or again, something more common, whatever it is that needs to be assessed. So I’m hoping that his staff is getting him to the hospital to get that checked out.

source