Congress could never be accused of working well at the best of times. But yesterday Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, appeared to be the literal embodiment of political gridlock when he froze mid-sentence during a news conference. The 81-year-old abruptly stopped speaking during the weekly Republican leadership media session before being led away by colleagues.
The longtime Kentucky Senator fell silent and stared straight ahead for about 20 seconds, as colleagues nervously enquired as to his health. ‘You OK, Mitch?’ asked Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, an ex-orthopaedic surgeon. ‘Anything else you want to say or should I escort you back to your office?’ he added. After sitting down in his office for several minutes, McConnell later returned to the press conference and continued to answer questions from the media.
Asked about what happened, McConnell merely said he was ‘fine’, with an aide later briefing the press that he had merely felt ‘light-headed.’
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