McConnell eager to return to Senate as he recovers from fall, senators say
Washington — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is eager to return to the Capitol two weeks after he tripped and fell at a hotel, suffering a concussion and rib fracture, according to fellow senators.
In recent days, several of his Republican colleagues said they've spoken with the GOP leader, who was discharged from the hospital last week and is continuing his recovery at an inpatient rehabilitation facility.
"He's ready to go," Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming told CBS News on Wednesday.
McConnell tripped and fell at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., and was hospitalized on March 8. He appeared at a reception and private dinner hosted by the Senate Leader Fund, a super PAC that aims to elect Republicans to the Senate.
McConnell's spokesman David Popp said last week that his concussion recovery was "proceeding well" and that he would be moved to an inpatient rehab facility before he returns home.
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota said Tuesday that McConnell is "anxious to get back." He said the two spoke about Senate floor business and the messages the minority leader has received from colleagues as he recovers.
"I can't speak to when he's coming back," Thune added. "But he sounded good."
Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Shelley Capito of West Virginia said they've also spoken with McConnell, while Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he's texted with him.
"He wants to be back soon," Cornyn told reporters Tuesday. "He's doing better."
Two other members have also been absent from the Senate in the last month. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has been receiving inpatient treatment for clinical depression since mid-February, and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been recovering from shingles.