nicholasjorcutt.substack.com/p/the-news-is-reporting-what-mitch?utm_source=multi...
2 corrections found
He has spoken twice in public since June. Both times his lips didn’t move while he spoke the word “aye.”
This is false as written: on September 14, 2026 McConnell publicly addressed reporters in complete sentences, not just the word “aye.”
Full reasoning
ABC News reported that when McConnell returned to the Senate on September 14, 2026, he "briefly addressed journalists outside the Senate chamber" and quoted several sentences he said publicly, including:
- "After two years -- two decades -- of dodging your questions, I wasn't sure how many of you would be here today,"
- "So I am glad to see you. It is time to get back to work and finish the job for this Congress."
That directly contradicts the claim that he had only spoken publicly twice since June and that both times he only said "aye." Whatever one thinks of his health, there was at least one public speaking appearance in which he said much more than that.
1 source
- Sen. Mitch McConnell returns to Senate floor after hospitalization - ABC News
McConnell, who was in a wheelchair, briefly addressed journalists outside the Senate chamber this afternoon ... 'After two years -- two decades -- of dodging your questions, I wasn't sure how many of you would be here today,' McConnell joked.
On September 14th, the first video of Mitch McConnell since the reported arrest was public.
September 14 was not the first public video after McConnell’s June medical emergency. CNN aired video on July 10, 2026 showing him being taken from his home on a stretcher into an ambulance.
Full reasoning
This timeline is incorrect.
CNN aired exclusive video on July 10, 2026—more than two months before September 14—showing McConnell being taken from his home on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance after the June 14 emergency. In other words, there was already a public video of McConnell related to that incident well before September 14.
So even if the author meant “the first video since the June medical event,” September 14 was not the first such public video.
1 source
- CNN.com - Transcripts
Aired July 10, 2026 ... CNN has brand-new reporting and exclusive new video ... According to eyewitnesses that CNN has spoken with, Senator Mitch McConnell was taken out of his home on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance.