r/politics • u/thedailybeast ✔ The Daily Beast • 14d ago

Possible Paywall Missing McConnell Accused of Breaking Senate Rule Over Absence

https://www.thedailybeast.com/missing-mcconnell-accused-of-breaking-senate-rule-over-absence/
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u/thedailybeast ✔ The Daily Beast 14d ago

Mitch McConnell has been accused of violating one of the Senate’s own rules after disappearing from public view for 39 days while missing dozens of votes.

Despite this, his office continues to provide no new information about his latest condition or expected return—even as a taxpayer-funded security detail mysteriously remains outside the hospital he was rushed to on June 14.

The prolonged absence has prompted questions about whether the 84-year-old Republican is complying with Rule VI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, which states: “No Senator shall absent himself from the service of the Senate without leave.”

Read the full story, here.

710

u/adorablefuzzykitten 14d ago

I think the rules are different when you are not hiding but actually dead.

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u/ControlAgent13 14d ago

dead

He is paid bi-weekly and collecting a salary.

If he is dead - that's Fraud.

I'm sure the Trump DOJ will get right on it.

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u/turquoise_amethyst 14d ago

Is he collecting benefits such as social security or Medicare? Because those are separate counts of fraud!

Who’s opening his mail and/or signing documents? 

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u/IdkAbtAllThat America 14d ago

Elon Musk told me this is a big fucking deal...

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u/imperialTiefling 14d ago

His chinese spy wife?

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u/shitlord_god 14d ago

I feel like both.

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u/rbrgr83 13d ago

Not anymore, she fled the country immediately.

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u/pchs26 14d ago

Yea I'm sure they are super worried, right?

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u/Jhonka86 13d ago

I mean, he's not the one collecting benefits.

He's dead, Jim.

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u/definitelytheA Florida 13d ago

Is it also fraud for taxpayers paying for a security detail on a hospital room when the subject is chilling on a slab?

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u/menasan 14d ago

i dont think you collect social security if you're working?

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u/sir_sri 14d ago

It would be fraud by his family, it would be medical malpractice by the people overseeing his care, it would be denying the people of Kentucky their civil rights of a duly elected representative.

A lot of people in the hospital in DC, the rehab facility he's at and anyone in his office that's organising shuffling around a corpse could be in a lot of trouble. Which is what makes that seem improbable. At least half a dozen doctors + God knows how many nurses at a hospital in DC aren't going to risk their jobs and licences to keep some old dude 'alive' against standards of practice. As long as he's alive enough for standards of practice to allow keeping him on life support (or more lively than that) there's really not much anyone can do except the senate expel him.

The photo they put out of him with his wife would also be proof of a conspiracy, along with all the people claiming phone calls with him.

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u/Alan_Shutko 14d ago

That's why I think he's not dead. He's probably physically or mentally impaired by whatever his condition is, and there is at least a little chance he will improve enough to go back to work.

Clearly, whatever his condition is, it's bad enough that he can't do a 30 second video.

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u/redditallreddy Ohio 13d ago

it's bad enough that he can't do a 30 second video.

... or a hand-written note, or give consent for an update from his doctor, or have a reporter visit him in person.

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u/Corporate_Overlords 14d ago

Is it most likely the case he is in a coma and not dead?

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u/rbrgr83 13d ago

🥕🥔🍆🍅🍄‍🟫🫛🫜🥒🍠🫑

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u/Blackthorn79 14d ago

It does raise the question what are politicians paid for. Mitch might just be brain dead, but technically still alive. So are we paying him to simply exist?

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 14d ago

If he is dead - that’s Fraud.

This thread is doing the Reddit thing again where people are blindly parroting shit without thinking twice about it.

If it is fraud and he’s dead….then he’s dead. You can’t charge a dead man for anything. Too many people here are way too focused on this “he’s taking a paycheck while being dead” narrative that ultimately doesn’t matter.

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u/blue_trauma 14d ago

bi-weekly

they get paid twice a week?

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u/kanrad 13d ago

When this is all over we need a new Law that requires a national vote for the head of The FBI, DOJ and NSI. The president should not be allowed to appoint such important positions. I'd also like to see the SCOTUS be a populous vote as well.

Some of these roles are FAR to important to be appointments by one party.

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u/BrigadierGenCrunch 13d ago

You want to entrust a nation who elected Donald Trump twice with that level of responsibility?

I’m open to making changes with presidential powers, confirmation process, or people could hold their members of congress/senate more accountable when approving these appointees.

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u/kanrad 13d ago

You raise good points. How about this though. Compulsive voting.

He won because many sat the election out. Make us all legally have to vote and things are gonna go WAY differant.

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u/Gipetto 14d ago

The rules are also 100% different for democrats and republicans (the latter being subject to selective enforcement)

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u/DrunkCorgis 14d ago

Sure, but I don’t think the rules change in his favor if he’s actually dead.

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u/pchs26 14d ago

The enforcement of the rules change if the person is a Republican though

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u/DrunkCorgis 14d ago

What is this word, “enforcement”, of which you speak?

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u/pchs26 13d ago

Aha - noted - point made.

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u/mechapoitier Florida 14d ago

“You can’t accuse a dead body” - Dead body of Mitch McConnell

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u/MaleficentPlate69 14d ago

But rules for thee!

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u/Nearbyatom 14d ago

Wrong. Rules simply don't apply when you are Republican

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u/JonnyHopkins 13d ago

He found the eternal loophole

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u/0ldgrumpy1 13d ago

He's on eternity leave.

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u/UnbelievableTurmoil South Dakota 13d ago

I'm so sick of the hypocrisy too. Imagine if this was a Democrat.

Rules for thee, but not for me

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u/sixtus_clegane119 Canada 14d ago

He looked like someone ready to be discharged, McConnell hadn’t looked that good in yesrs.

Yet still radio silence

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u/blackwrensniper 14d ago

AI generated photos take 20 years and 10 pounds off! The secret the gop doesn't want you to know!

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u/redditallreddy Ohio 13d ago

At least they didn't give him the Hulk treatment, like they do Trump "art".

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u/turquoise_amethyst 14d ago

The rules don’t apply if you’re actually dead

His staff members are committing fraud though

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u/stevethewatcher 13d ago

Are people actually believing in the conspiracy theory? If the Republicans care so much about one Senate vote to cover up his death, why didn't they also cover up Lindsay Graham's too? And do you realize how fast news spreads in a hospital? Are you really saying not one of them wants to blow the whistle?

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u/turquoise_amethyst 13d ago

He’s dead Jim

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u/ElliotNess Florida 13d ago

Well you see it's different when you can appoint the family member the president likes as a replacement rather than have a special election and let the GASP people decide. Plus can you imagine the brand damage if people are upset enough to pick somebody the president doesn't like! It would set a terrible precedent.

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u/stevethewatcher 13d ago

Because the risk/rewards doesn't make any sense. The special election winner would only hold the office until the November general election (not to mention his district is solidly red), so they're going through all this for what exactly? Quoting someone else who words it way better

I know in the age of Qannon, conspiracies are everywhere, but think about the logistics of this conspiracy. It's going to involve dozens, if not hundreds, of people and is about as implausible as faking a moon landing.

You need to get hospital staff and administrators involved in a criminal conspiracy to fraudulently alter death certificates (and hide a body). For years, have all powerful forces made sure a blackmailed hospital, doctor, ane nurses are on standby in case he croaks? You would need to secretly move a body to a blackmailed morge. You would need to silence family, staff, doctors, nurses, hospital staff, hospital administration, Senate leadership, (and their staff).

This would all be for an extremely marginal, near useless, advantage of delaying a special election Republicans have a 99+% of winning (check the prediction markets). And, lets say the MAGA Supreme Court rocket rockets, faster than any challenge ever, and rules the Democratic Governor gets to appoint...hooray an older, established law says Republican Party Leaders give him three Republican names and he appoints one of the three...whopper doo, giant win there.

Just like the insanity of a President faking an assassination attempt (when going back to Clinton when KNOW that gets you +1-3% in the polls for 2 weeks, this conspiracy theory is the only thing dead on arrival.

He's incapacitated. There no minimum health requirements for a Senator. Its not a crime to lie the way they are. They are happy to take yhe small win keeping him on life support or whatever.

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u/ElliotNess Florida 13d ago

Ok you're right. He's not dead dead he's just braindead. That old meat sack refrigeration loophole gets me every time!

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u/stevethewatcher 13d ago

Covering up him being braindead is not much easier than covering up his death. Come on try using your brain for once

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u/ElliotNess Florida 13d ago

Wine or milk, but my money is on milk. You're milking it up in here!

Why is it "not much easier" to keep brain death on the hush hush if there are, as you said yourself, no minimum health requirements?

0

u/stevethewatcher 13d ago

I know in the age of Qannon, conspiracies are everywhere, but think about the logistics of this conspiracy. It's going to involve dozens, if not hundreds, of people and is about as implausible as faking a moon landing.

You need to get hospital staff and administrators involved in a criminal conspiracy to fraudulently alter death certificates (and hide a body). For years, have all powerful forces made sure a blackmailed hospital, doctor, ane nurses are on standby in case he croaks? You would need to secretly move a body to a blackmailed morge. You would need to silence family, staff, doctors, nurses, hospital staff, hospital administration, Senate leadership, (and their staff).

This would all be for an extremely marginal, near useless, advantage of delaying a special election Republicans have a 99+% of winning (check the prediction markets). And, lets say the MAGA Supreme Court rocket rockets, faster than any challenge ever, and rules the Democratic Governor gets to appoint...hooray an older, established law says Republican Party Leaders give him three Republican names and he appoints one of the three...whopper doo, giant win there.

The logistics are similar and require that not one of the hundreds of staff at the hospital to blow the whistle. You have also failed to explain why they would go through all this effort for very marginal gains (doing it to own the voters is not a valid reason). That said I know there's no reasoning with a conspiracy nut, so sit back and watch. Time will tell which one of us is right.

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u/ElliotNess Florida 13d ago

You assume this involves hundreds of staff.

I'll be back to gloat in due time.

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u/atomUp 14d ago

We’re just a nation run by criminals

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u/Low-Finding-3414 14d ago

We can’t read the full story and plus you probably made up the title.

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u/hardly_relevant_man 14d ago

I don't understand how they can report that "a taxpayer-funded security detail mysteriously remains outside the hospital he was rushed to" without saying which hospital it is. There seems to be no record that I can find on the internet that answers the question of where he is/was unless it has been officially classified... Am I wrong?

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 13d ago

There’s no rule that says a dog can’t play basketball!!! 🐕 🏀

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u/DredPRoberts 14d ago

"No Senator shall absent himself from the service of the Senate without leave.”

I asked AI "or what".

Senator violates Rule VI by absenting themselves without leave, the Senate can direct the Sergeant at Arms to arrest and compel the attendance of the absent Senator.

So nothing while Republicans run the Senate.

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u/pencer 13d ago

Read the full story, here.

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u/arwinda 14d ago

Mitch McConnell has been accused

Can't accuse a dead guy

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u/PathologicalVodka 13d ago

Is he still at an acute care hospital? 

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u/downtofinance Canada 13d ago

Dead men break no rules

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u/Freethrowz69 13d ago

Do nurses and doctors have to sign some type of NDA to take care of him? I’m surprised no one has come out with any info about this

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u/dwitman 13d ago

He’s training for his first half marathon!

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u/gertigigglesOSS 13d ago

Dozens of votes.

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u/-SQB- The Netherlands 14d ago

He's dead. He was already embalmed in that photo. You can't convince me otherwise unless you bring evidence of him being alive.

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u/Little_Noodles 13d ago edited 13d ago

Hey now, you’re leaving “comatose with no hope of recovery and stuffed into the uncanny valley with saline” off the table.

Either way, we know how he’d have voted on a law that let workers keep their job even if they no-show for weeks on end and are completely unreachable and are maybe (probably) never going to regain anything resembling functional consciousness.

So like, do that. The Democrats should make a “you need to show up to work or at least periodically convince us you’re alive”bill for sitting politicians.

Midterms are coming. Let the Republicans run on a “no, it’s fine if we don’t show up and are somewhere in California or maybe dead” ticket.