Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear expressed his readiness to initiate a legal challenge that would enable him to select a successor for Mitch McConnell should the senator be unable to resume his duties.
Beshear, a member of the Democratic Party, informed Rev. Al Sharpton, the host of MS NOW’s Politics Nation, on Sunday that he “might make some news right here” while disclosing the various options available to him as governor for replacing the 84-year-old senator, whose health has been under significant scrutiny for several weeks.
Andy Beshear talks about Kentucky constitutional provision
“Our Republican supermajority has been so worried about me being able to potentially support someone before a special election that they passed not one but two laws,” Beshear stated. “They tried at first to say they could submit a list of three people to me from the Republican Party, and I’d have to pick. Now they say I can’t fill a vacancy, but I have to call a special election.”
“But here’s the thing: there is a Kentucky constitutional provision that says that I appoint all state officers when there’s a vacancy,” he added. “The question is, does that apply to federal offices? Well, before there was ever a law in Kentucky on how this would work, multiple appointments were made by governors, assumably under that provision.”
Kentucky Governor targets McConnell despite ‘proof of life’
Beshear commented before McConnell shared a “proof of life” photograph on Sunday, nearly a month after he was admitted to the hospital following an incident where he was discovered unconscious and required CPR at his residence in Washington, D.C.
McConnell’s team published a photo depicting him with his wife, Elaine Chao, sitting upright next to a hospital bed while holding what seemed to be the sports section of The Washington Post from Sunday.
In an extensive statement, McConnell explained that he was hospitalized due to a fall, but clarified that he did not “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,” he stated, also affirming that he has been dealing with a “mild case of pneumonia.”
Speculation had arisen regarding the severity of McConnell’s condition following initial reports indicating that he had experienced a cardiac arrest last month.
Following the release of the “proof of life” photograph, Beshear stated that McConnell must still offer additional confirmation regarding his health, which should include a video of the senator speaking.
Speaking to Spectrum News, he said, “Moving forward, the Senator should show he can meaningfully engage in his elected position through interviews, videos or other means that can provide .additional reassurance to our constituents.”
During his appearance on Politics Nation, Beshear emphasized his readiness to consider all alternatives for replacing McConnell should he be deemed too incapacitated to fulfill his duties.
“I will look at my authority as governor to make sure that we are represented as Kentuckians, and certainly I’ll take a strong look at that section of our Kentucky Constitution,” he stated.
