Washington: For a second time in just over a month, US Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell froze for more than 30 seconds while speaking to reporters at an event in Kentucky.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at the press event in Covington when the 81-year-old McConnell, who leads the Republican party’s narrow minority in the upper chamber of Congress, asked whether he would run for-re-election in 2026, reports the BBC.
Aides attempted to prompt the Senator, but it took several more seconds for McConnell to recover.
He then answered two more questions, which had to be repeated by staff.
He made no comments about his health, before leaving with aides.
“Leader McConnell felt momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today,” the BBC quoted a spokesperson as saying after the incident.
A staffer later told CBS News the the Senator “feels fine” but “will be consulting a physician prior to his next event”.
On July 26 while addressing his regularly scheduled weekly news conference on Capitol Hill, McConnell had paused mid-sentence for approximately 20 seconds, before being ushered away by his fellow Republican senators.
He later returned and told reporters he was “fine” and had felt “lightheaded”.
In March, McConnell had tripped at a private dinner event and was later admitted to hospital for treatment of a concussion, as well as a minor rib fracture.
He was transferred to a rehabilitation facility and did not return to the Senate until mid-April.
After the freezing incident in July, US media reported that the Senator has endured at least three other falls since February.
Serving his seventh term as Senator, McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984.
(IANS)
