Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has plans to retire, according to some political activists and news reports.
“Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Cornyn of Texas, and John Thune of South Dakota are actively reaching out to fellow Republican senators in efforts to prepare for an anticipated leadership vote — a vote that would occur upon announcement that McConnell would be retiring from his duties as leader, and presumably the Senate itself,” The Spectator reported, saying “multiple sources” had confirmed the information.
“BREAKING: Republican Senators are actively preparing for the retirement of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,” Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, tweeted Thursday.
But McConnell’s office has denied the claims.
“No, he’ll be back Monday,” McConnell’s press office told The Daily Signal when asked if the senator planned to retire before the end of his term in 2027.
“I am looking forward to returning to the Senate on Monday,” McConnell wrote on Twitter Thursday afternoon. “We’ve got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people.”
McConnell, 81, was hospitalized in March after a fall left him with a concussion and minor rib fracture.
Rumors of McConnell’s retirement come amid calls for California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein to retire.
Feinstein, 89, has been struggling to recover from shingles. She has not cast a vote since mid-February, meaning she has missed about 60 of the Senate’s 82 votes this session.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., tweeted Wednesday, “It’s time for @SenFeinstein to resign. We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties.”
While Feinstein has not indicated she plans to resign, she has agreed to let another senator temporarily take her place on the Judiciary Committee.
Feinstein has acknowledged that her absence may slow down the work of the Judiciary Committee and so she said in a statement that she has “asked Leader [Chuck] Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve until I’m able to resume my committee work.”
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