Elaine Chao, wife of Mitch McConnell, issues statement after US return

[riversedge]

Source: yahoo.com


Ruby Grisin and Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal

Updated Tue, July 7, 2026 at 5:25 PM CDT


Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has returned to the United States from China after her husband, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell was hospitalized June 14.

"The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family's philanthropic endeavors," a spokesperson for Chao said in a statement to The Courier Journal. "During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the U.S. ambassador. The senator's health did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S."

The comment comes as McConnell's congressional colleagues and aides have said they have spoken to him at length in recent days.

Scott Jennings, the CNN pundit and radio host who for years served as an advisor to McConnell, said July 7 he'd spoken to the senator that morning in a nearly 20-minute discussion that touched on topics including Iran, Ukraine and the U.S. Senate race in Maine.............







Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/elaine-chao-wife-mitch-mcconnell-222524282.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

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That's it folks. Not much.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[niyad]

1. Geez, I read better fiction than this in the remaindered books

at the bookstore.

[ahnakneemoose]

7. Yes, my (odd) thoughts exactly (as yours)

Additionally, my internal silly-sense tells me that U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell crossed the bridge (to that fiery place) just prior to his hospitalization on 14 June 2026.

And he has been gone ever since...

[buzzycrumbhunger]

2. Obviously a love match...

Jeezus.

[Justice]

3. Cryptic response - when a relative had cardiac arrest in

early 2009 while being transferred from the hospital to a rehab facility, my parents were at Obama’s inauguration. They didn’t return home immediately (other relatives were present) because the relative was kept in a medically induced coma for a few days to allow time to heal before being brought out of the coma to see if they suffered brain damage or could recover. I believe it’s a pretty standard treatment approach.

It’s possible that Chao was waiting to see if Mitch woke up after being in an induced coma.

[LeftInTX]

11. I don't think they would put McConnell in an induced coma.

He's too old and sickly. Everyone knows he's on his way out.

[BigmanPigman]

4. How do we know she has returned?

Has anyone seen her? I want proof! I want proof of her hubby, the evil spawn, being alive too. They only know how to lie, cheat and steal. Greedy, psychopathic, hypocritical sadists.

[James48]

5. Talking to him on the phone.

Anybody can do a Mitch McConnell voice impression.

[Galraedia]

6. She traveled 3 days after her husband was hospitalized for a heart attack to meet with the Chinese vice president

Also, she's a private citizen and not a government official.

[niyad]

9. What does her status as a private citizen have to do with this situation?

[Galraedia]

12. The Logan Act bars U.S. citizens from engaging in certain communications with foreign governments without authority

of the United States.

[niyad]

16. But nobody here was discussing the Logan Act.

[ColoringFool]

21. The info says she was discussing philanhropic endeavors. ZERO to do.....

with the Logan Act restrictions.

[ColoringFool]

22. WHERE ARE YOU READING "CHINESE VICE PRESIDENT"??

It says "AMBASSADOR to China"---an AMERICAN.

[LeftInTX]

8. Very informative. I learned so much

[Teacher of the Year]

10. His health "did not warrant immediate return" could mean it was so bad

that there was no point of returning.

ALso... "The Senator's health...." that must be one very loving household.

[Botany]

13. You can just feel the warmth in that statement it is almost like somebody else wrote it.

[littlemissmartypants]

14. How do you go into cardiac arrest without a heart?

[niyad]

15. The same way darth cheney had a "heart" valve replacement?

[Seinan Sensei]

17. Scott Jennings, CNN pundit and pox on journalistic discourse

“said July 7 he'd spoken to the senator that morning”

Spoken to
Not with
Words matter, Scotty-boy

[hamsterjill]

18. Yeah, Jennings is a real sleeze bag in my view.

He peddles bullshit on CNN and gets called out for it quite frequently. He just keeps peddling because he operates under the same type of thinking as Trump - that being, that if you say something loud enough and long enough, others will believe it.

Sorry, I don't believe it.

[hamsterjill]

19. Is it just me, or does this statement imply that she was in China BEFORE the cardiac arrest.

Please note the word that I'm using here - "imply" as in being said purposefully.

It does not say when she actually went to China, and I thought she was said to have gone to China after McConnell was picked up by ambulance. It wouldn't make sense that she went to China after her husband had experienced a cardiac arrest.

If she was in China and he had the cardiac arrest, wouldn't it be reasonable for a spouse to immediately return to take care of matters personally? So that doesn't make sense either.

None of that statement makes enough sense to make even an idiot believe it.

[Raftergirl]

20. This is a very long time to be hospitalized after having a heart attack. Most patients are sent home after a

few days and then begin outpatient rehab.

[LeftInTX]

23. He could be in another facility.

Anyone who is bedridden is either:
Sent home
Sent to another facilitiy

He would be in a skilled nursing facility
However, I took care of kids on vents who were severly brain damaged at their homes.