CNN has distanced itself from a conservative commentator’s claims about Senator Mitch McConnell’s health, an issue that has drawn heightened scrutiny since the 84-year-old Kentuckian was hospitalized last month.
Scott Jennings, a network contributor, was one of several GOP insiders this week to claim he had recently spoken with McConnell as speculation abounds about the former Senate majority leader’s condition.
Appearing on CNN Tuesday, Jennings said he had spoken on the phone with McConnell that day for “about 17 minutes.” On Thursday, Jennings said that it appeared as though the senator was “preparing at some point to go back to work,” while rejecting claims that he is dead or “a vegetable.”
The network, however, was quick to draw a distinction between Jennings’ remarks and its own reporting.
“As a CNN Political Commentator, Scott Jennings is not a full-time employee or journalist for the network,” a CNN spokesperson told The Daily Beast. “His account of a personal conversation with Senator McConnell reflects his experience and is not CNN reporting.”
The Independent has contacted CNN and McConnell’s office for comment.
McConnell, who was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and is set to retire at the end of his current term, was admitted to the hospital June 14, according to a spokesperson. His staff have offered little detail about his condition, and the nature of his ailment remains unclear.
In recent years, McConnell has faced a series of health setbacks. He was hospitalized for eight days in February with flu-like symptoms and suffered multiple falls in 2025. Public concern intensified in 2023, when his face briefly froze while he was speaking to reporters.
“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” a McConnell spokesperson told ABC News Tuesday. “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
The absence of detailed official information has fueled a wave of speculation, including claims by MAGA activist Laura Loomer that McConnell is “brain dead.”
Questions intensified after CNN Friday published a video that, according to a bystander, shows first responders transporting the senator on a stretcher, after being called to his Washington, D.C., home last month in response to a report of an unconscious person.
A neighbor told the outlet they opened their door June 14 to find Capitol Police officers, ambulances, and a fire truck lining the street. Video captured by the neighbor shows first responders wheeling an individual on a stretcher, though the person’s face is not visible.
While several GOP officials — including Senate majority leader John Thune — have said they’ve spoken with McConnell this past week, one top Republican has not.
When asked Wednesday whether he’d been in contact with the Kentucky senator, President Donald Trump said he had not. When asked how McConnell is doing, Trump replied: “I have no idea.”
