{"id":18790,"date":"2026-07-19T10:09:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T10:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=18790"},"modified":"2026-07-19T10:09:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T10:09:52","slug":"josh-hawley-demands-mcconnell-team-be-transparent-with-constituents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=18790","title":{"rendered":"Josh Hawley demands McConnell team be transparent with constituents"},"content":{"rendered":"


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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

As questions persist about Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell\u2019s condition, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., issued a blistering rebuke about his team\u2019s handling of the crisis, reminding them of their “obligation to your constituents.”<\/p>\n

The 84-year-old former Senate majority leader has been absent from the upper chamber for over a month now after a fall at his home left him hospitalized. His absence, coupled with the sudden death of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, leaves Senate Republicans down two crucial votes amid a dead sprint to wrap up key parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda.<\/p>\n

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Hawley, a conservative populist, said he wishes McConnell and his family well and hopes for a recovery.<\/p>\n

At the same time, however, Hawley said that “at a certain point you do have an obligation to your constituents and the country to tell them what\u2019s going on.”<\/p>\n

MCCONNELL FACES FRESH CALLS TO COME CLEAN ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sen. Josh Hawley (right), R-Mo., called for transparency from Sen. Mitch McConnell (left), R-Ky., following his prolonged absence from the Senate.<\/span> (Courtesy of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office; Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“To be down a vote,” Hawley continued, “We\u2019ve got a slim majority; it\u2019s not easy.”<\/p>\n

While Hawley said he would “defer” to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on how to handle McConnell\u2019s situation, he noted that the lack of GOP votes is hurting priorities like the voter integrity measure, the SAVE America Act.<\/p>\n

“I just hear a lot from leadership that, \u2018Well, we don\u2019t have the votes for this.\u2019 Like the voter I.D., we don\u2019t have the votes for that. Well, we might want to do something about that,” he said.<\/p>\n

Hawley also said that he too has been “totally in the dark” about McConnell\u2019s condition and said, “I never had any idea about any of his health stuff.”<\/p>\n

“I hope he recovers, but I also hope that they get the transparency out there to help people know what the situation is,” he said.<\/p>\n

‘THIS IS NOT NORMAL’: AOC UNLOADS ON MCCONNELL’S PROLONGED ABSENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

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WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 20: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is pushed in a wheelchair at the U.S. Capitol on February 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. McConnell, 83, the seven-term Senator from Kentucky who served 18 years as the Republican leader, announced he will not seek reelection and will retire after his current term.<\/span> (Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Asked whether he believes McConnell\u2019s condition evidences a need for age limits to serve in office, Hawley quickly shot back, “Well, I\u2019m a term-limit guy, so I\u2019m all for that.”<\/p>\n

“Nothing against colleagues who are older,” he continued. He pointed to 92-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, saying, “Chuck is sharp as a tack and spry and all that stuff.”<\/p>\n

“But I do think there needs to be term limits. People just come here and stay forever. And I don’t think it\u2019s what the founders intended; I don\u2019t think it\u2019s what people want. So, I\u2019ve always been a big proponent of a constitutional amendment for term limits.”<\/p>\n

McConnell is completing his seventh term in the Senate. He was first elected to the chamber in 1984. This June, he was hospitalized after a fall in his Washington, D.C., home. He later developed pneumonia while in the hospital.<\/p>\n

After an extended period of silence, McConnell\u2019s issued an open letter to Kentuckians in which the senator addressed his prolonged absence. McConnell attributed his fall to mobility issues left from his childhood fight with polio.<\/p>\n

SEE IT: GOP SENATORS SPLIT ON MCCONNELL QUESTIONS AS TUBERVILLE SEEKS TIMELINE, KENNEDY DEFENDS LEADER<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks at a press conference with other members of Senate Republican leadership following a policy luncheon in Washington, D.C. on October 28, 2025.<\/span> (Nathan Posner\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

He acknowledged that at the advice of his doctors, he “won\u2019t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, McConnell emphasized, “I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do” and said, “I\u2019ll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible.”<\/p>\n

He also pledged to keep his constituents updated on the progress of his recovery.<\/p>\n

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Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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