WASHINGTON (WKYT) – For the first time since Senator Mitch McConnell’s June hospitalization, his wife, Elaine Chao, has issued a public statement.
In a statement sent to Louisville CBS affiliate WLKY on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Chao said: “The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family’s philanthropic endeavors. During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the US ambassador. The Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the US.”
Chao left for her trip on June 12, two days before the senator was admitted to the hospital, and has since returned to the United States, according to WLKY, but her staff did not say whether she had been in contact with her husband.
The last public update from McConnell’s staff came on July 2, stating that 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 previous update from June 22 confirmed that McConnell was recovering but would not be voting on the Senate floor that week.
Neither indicated why McConnell was admitted to the hospital.
A person was reportedly found “unconscious” at McConnell’s Washington home the day he was hospitalized, but it has not been confirmed whether that person was the senator.
Several Republican senators have since said they spoke to McConnell this week.
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