Earlier this month, conservative CNN contributor and longtime Kentucky GOP strategist Scott Jennings claimed he had spoken with his “old friend” McConnell on the phone after rumors and speculation began to spread about the senator’s condition. Beshear said if McConnell “supposedly had a 17-minute conversation with Scott Jennings, he can call in and have a three-minute conversation” with Collins. Beshear said the senator could also “go to camera and just let us know he’s doing all right.”

What Did Beshear Say About Scott Jennings?

“To be fair, Scott Jennings works for CNN. He can go on air, dial him [McConnell] up, put him on speakerphone, and we can put all the speculation to rest,” Beshear said. Collins pointed out that Jennings has “declined to do so” but has instead “relayed” what he heard from McConnell.

What Did Beshear Write In His Letter To McConnell?

In a strongly worded letter to McConnell and his staff on Monday, Beshear demanded that the senator either share more details about his health or resign. The letter began with: “I am addressing this letter to Senator McConnell under the assumption that he is capable of reading and responding verbally, and not incapacitated by means of consciousness or cognition. If the Senator is unable to respond for either of those or other conditions, consider this letter a demand for his Senate staff to be honest and transparent with the people of Kentucky.” The letter noted that McConnell’s physician statement issued earlier on Monday failed to discuss his “actual condition,” including his ability to “speak, reason, or carry out your duties as a senator.”

Key Background

McConnell was found unconscious at his home on June 14 and was taken to a local hospital in an Advanced Life Support ambulance, multiple outlets reported, citing EMS radio. According to NBC News, police scanner audio suggested EMS conducted CPR on a person at the address experiencing “cardiac arrest” that day. No updates about McConnell’s condition were shared for nearly four weeks, prompting speculation and conspiracy theories. The senator eventually issued a statment in mid-July along with a photo of himself sitting up in a hospital bed with his wife Elaine Chao beside him. In the statement, McConnell said he was hospitalized after a fall, which he blamed on “mobility challenges” stemming from his childhood polio and advanced age. The senator said the fall didn’t result in broken bones or a concussion and he didn’t suffer from a heart attack or stroke or have any “tumors or hemorrhages.” He added that he was “briefly unconscious” after the fall and, while receiving care at the hospital, had to deal with a “mild case of pneumonia.” A follow-up statement was issued on Monday—two weeks after the first—along with another photo of McConnell sitting up in his hospital bed and Chao beside him. The senator said he had “not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility.”