An intern for the Washington Post has gotten to the bottom of Senator Mitch McConnell’s so-called proof of life photo, showing the newspaper’s sports section.
Conspiracy theories about the Kentucky Republican’s health have continued to swirl online, fueled by his month-long absence from the public eye. Some even believed the 84-year-old had died and his team was covering it up.
His office did little to quash the rumors with a statement from McConnell and a photo of him in the hospital alongside his wife, Elaine Chao, released Sunday night. Some even baselessly accused the photo of being fake, specifically mentioning the Post’s Sunday sports section that McConnell was holding in the photo.
But Hany Farid, a digital forensics professor at the University of California at Berkeley, confirmed there is no evidence the image was AI-generated, according to a Tuesday report by Ben Binday, an intern covering politics for the Post.
The Post also reviewed a copy of the photo and found that its metadata shows it was taken on Sunday, debunking a claim from a viral social media post that it was taken several years ago.
The Independent has reached out to McConnell’s office for comment.
Laura Loomer, a right-wing conspiracy theorist and ally to President Donald Trump, was among those not convinced by the photo of McConnell, asking why the newspaper’s text looks “AI generated” and calling the image “bulls***.” Last week, she said a “high-level source close to the White House” told her McConnell was “brain dead.”
Farid told the Post that McConnell and Chao’s faces do not look suspicious and that the photo’s lighting is believable. The expert added that what is visible of the newspaper in the photo is consistent with that day’s sports section.
McConnell, who survived polio as a child, explained in his Sunday statement that he had taken a fall last month that hospitalized him.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.
“While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia,” McConnell wrote.
McConnell said he is recovering, noting that he has transitioned from the hospital to a rehabilitation center. Still, he said his doctors advised him not to return to Capitol Hill yet.
In the meantime, McConnell said he’s been working with his legislative staff and has been in contact with his fellow senators on issues, including the midterm elections.
McConnell, Kentucky’s longest-serving senator, is not seeking reelection and will retire next year after suffering from several falls and public episodes of freezing up.
In October, McConnell fell in a hallway inside the U.S. Capitol building as he was approached by an activist asking him about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities.
“You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you,” McConnell said in his Sunday statement. “And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work.
“But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.”
On Monday night, Trump told Newsmax’s Greg Kelly that he didn’t know McConnell’s current condition.
“I hope he’s going to be fine. I don’t know if he’s fine,” he said.
