CNN Distances Itself from Contributor’s Account of Senator’s Health

CNN said statements by one of its contributors about Senator Mitch McConnell’s health reflect a personal conversation and are not network reporting. The contributor appeared on the network Tuesday and said he had spoken with McConnell that day for about 17 minutes.

On Thursday the contributor said McConnell appeared to be preparing to return to work and rejected claims that the senator is dead or incapacitated. A CNN spokesperson told The Daily Beast that the contributor is not a full-time employee or journalist for the network.

McConnell was admitted to the hospital June 14, according to a spokesperson. His staff have offered little detail about his condition. A neighbor told CNN that first responders were called to McConnell’s Washington, D.C., home on June 14 after a report of an unconscious person.

Video recorded by the neighbor shows an individual being wheeled on a stretcher, though the face is not visible. McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and is scheduled to retire at the end of his current term. In recent years he has been hospitalized for flu-like symptoms and suffered multiple falls.

A McConnell spokesperson told ABC News that the senator appreciates support while recovering and continues to improve. Several Republican officials have said they have spoken with McConnell this week. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had not been in contact with McConnell and had no information on his condition.