CNN's Kaitlan Collins Attacks Former Mitch McConnell Aide Over Ailing Senator's Health, Amid Growing Reports the 84-Year-Old Republican is 'Brain Dead'
Questions about Mitch McConnell's health continue to go unanswered.
July 11 2026, Published 3:07 p.m. ET
Kaitlan Collins pushed back hard when fellow CNN commentator Scott Jennings claimed he had a nearly 20-minute conversation this week with Senator Mitch McConnell, RadarOnline.com can report.
The long-ailing senator was captured on video being rushed on a stretcher from his house to a hospital a month ago, after he was found unconscious in his Washington, D.C. home and required CPR.
Mitch McConnell was Spotted on a Stretcher
The ailing senators hasn't been seen publicly since June.
McConnell's team has been tight-lipped about the 84-year-old's health, as he reportedly remains in the hospital for an unknown condition.
In a video obtained by CNN an individual later identified as McConnell was spotted unconscious on a stretcher, being loaded into an ambulance. Once inside the ambulance, the body was partially covered with an orange blanket.
During a terse interview, Collins asked Jennings, who worked for the Kentucky Republican during his 2002 and 2008 Senate runs, if he knew the politician had been taken to the hospital via ambulance.
"Well, I certainly heard he’d gone to the hospital, and traditionally, the way you go to the hospital is by ambulance," Jennings quipped.
However, the National Library of Medicine reports only 18 percent of emergency room patients arrive through an ambulance.
Scott Jennings 'Spoke with McConnell' This Week
A former aide claimed he had a long conversation with McConnell.
Jennings did concede that Republican leaders need to be more open and honest about McConnell's health, telling Collins "Transparency here would have saved them some grief."
Earlier this week, Jennings tweeted, "I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky. He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible."
When Collins pushed back on Jennings' conversation claims he stood by his statement, saying he was "surprised" his old boss reached out.
Mitch McConnell is 'Never Coming Back'
There are reports the senator is 'brain dead'.
McConnell’s office has avoided commenting on the senator’s health outside of a July 2 statement that read, "Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session."
But others can't stop talking and speculating what the truth is, including right-wing reporter Laura Loomer, who made the bombshell claim that McConnell is allegedly "brain dead" and a "vegetable" following three weeks of hospitalization.
"A very high-level source told me Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead, and machines are keeping him alive, but he is a vegetable and 'never coming back,'" Loomer claimed on X.
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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Demands the Truth
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wants answers.
On Wednesday, July 8, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear released a letter asking McConnell for transparency about his current health condition to put the wild theories to rest.
"Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and well-being, and ability to hold office," Beshear wrote.
He continued, "As Governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health." The 48-year-old then reminded McConnell that public officeholders "have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and to always be transparent.
Beshear summarized, "I believe this requires clear communication about one's ability to serve."
