Longtime Reporter Says Mitch McConnell ‘Is Just Being a Little Cranky and Pugnacious’ Amid Lengthy Absence

A longtime Kentucky journalist had a novel take on the controversy swirling over veteran Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has been absent from Congress for weeks after suffering a health scare.

The 84-year-old elected official, who was reportedly found unconscious in his Washington D.C. home on June 14 and hasn’t been to work since, is just “cranky,” reporter Al Cross told CNN’s Kasie Hunt.

Hunt asked Cross to weigh in on McConnell’s situation as Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) continues to call for the senator to give more definitive proof of his well-being:

Well, I said that he cherishes his independence, and he could easily resolve this matter, but you know, he’s just being a little cranky and pugnacious here in the twilight of his career.

Says, I’m going to do it the way I want to do it. And he’s often done that. He’s always been, pretty private about his health and so on. So it’s not really a big surprise. You know, I wish he would give us a short video and put all this misinformation to rest, but he’s going out the way he wants to go out.

I guess you got to give him a little grace for that. The other big part of this story is Beshear.

Mcconnell has basically, I think, been happy to let Beshear stew in his own juice. Here Beshear is coming under lots of pressure from people on the left to do something and he really can’t do anything except talk.

It would be silly to try to appoint somebody to a seat that’s not vacant, as some people have suggested. So he’s trying to get off the back foot here as a presidential candidate and look forceful.

So this is the most forceful talk that we have seen from him yet. And you basically say, put up or resign. Uh, that’s very tough.

KASIE HUNT: So do you see any consequences, Al, for McConnell? If I mean, say, he doesn’t do any of these things that Beshear is demanding, if he continues to handle this the way he’s handled it so far.

CROSS: There are hardly any consequences for Mitch McConnell, which is one reason we’ve seen him stay pretty well mum for 43 days.

McConnell’s office has released few details as bizarre claims have swirled that he is brain dead.

His office has issued two photos of the senator with his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, as proof of life.

Watch above via CNN.

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