Sen. Paul raises serious concerns about McConnell's health — then accuses Capitol physician of 'misinformation'

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is publicly questioning the health of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

What is the background?

McConnell, the 81-year-old Kentucky Republican, has grabbed attention for two scary episodes in which he appeared to "freeze up." McConnell's office blamed the incidents on light-headedness, while Capitol physician Dr. Brian Monahan blamed dehydration.

On Tuesday, Monahan said he conducted several tests on McConnell after the second incident but found no underlying neurological issues.

My examination of you following your August 30, 2023 brief episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment. There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson's disease.

What did Paul say?

Paul, a medical doctor trained at the prestigious Duke University School of Medicine, is not buying what Dr. Monahan is selling.

"I've practiced medicine for 25 years and it doesn't look like dehydration to me," Paul, an ophthalmologist, said. "It looks like a focal neurologic event."

Sen. Rand Paul says its an 'inadequate representation' to say McConnell froze due to dehydrationwww.youtube.com

"When you get dehydrated you don’t have moments where your eyes look in the distance with a vacant look and you’re sort of basically unconscious with your eyes open. That is not a symptom of dehydration," Paul said.

Importantly, Paul explained that an electroencephalogram — otherwise known as an EEG study — cannot and should not be used to rule out a seizure disorder.

According to Paul, about 25% of people who experience a brain injury will experience seizures afterward, but 83% of those won't show up on an EEG test because they are too small and the test is not being conducted while a seizure is happening.

"When someone tells you, 'Oh, he has a normal EEG, therefore he doesn't have a seizure disorder,' that's not good medicine," he explained.

Paul clarified that his problem is not with McConnell or his fitness to serve — in fact, Paul explained that thanks to medicine, people function normally in high-profile jobs all the time despite experiencing neurological problems — but what he believes is a clear lack of transparency from Dr. Monahan.

"My point is that I'm just trying to counter the misinformation from the Senate doctor. It is basically not believable to come up and say that what's going on is dehydration," Paul said. "It makes it worse in the sense that by saying something that is obviously untrue, it leads to more distrust of the situation."

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