Republican Senator Ron Johnson said that the “proof of life” photo of Mitch McConnell is not a recent one.On Monday, while speaking on Real America’s Voice, Johnson, known for his interest in conspiracy theories, mentioned that he had heard from a source that McConnell used an older photo to update people about his condition after being hospitalized last month.
“I just heard from some other source that it was an older photo, so I really don’t know,” Johnson said after being asked if he believed McConnell shared the photo and statement himself on Sunday.
“I haven’t talked to Mitch, um, I sincerely wish his family well.
I hope he can recover,” he added.”Listen—it’s sad to watch people age, no matter who that person is.”
McConnell’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The 71-year-old senator said he has worked with McConnell for 16 years, and while they “disagree on a host of things,” he knows McConnell “loves his country” and “loves the Senate.”
“I wish him well.
I hope he recovers.I hope he can come back and contribute to, and vote with, the president’s agenda,” he concluded.
Johnson isn’t the only right-wing figure to question the photo and the accompanying statement, which was supposedly written by McConnell.
Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer and a loyal supporter of former President Donald Trump, said the image was “BS” and demanded that McConnell’s team release a video of the senator.
“The American people aren’t stupid,” she added.
Loomer also doubted that McConnell himself wrote the statement, which said he hadn’t suffered a stroke or a heart attack but had been hospitalized after a fall and was “briefly unconscious.”
“The text is blurry and the tag on his shirt is blurred,” Loomer said, suggesting the photo might have been created by AI.
“Also, if he’s in the hospital, why is there no IV connected to him to monitor his health?This is such bulls—.His staff are liars.”
McConnell’s team is led by his long-time, camera-shy aide Terry Carmack, who is expected to earn more than $226,000 this year.
Former Fox News producer and MAGA activist Kylie Jane Kremer echoed Loomer’s calls for a video of McConnell, saying in a series of social media posts that “the public deserves clear, direct proof that Senator McConnell is recovering.”
“WHERE IS THE METADATA ON THE ORIGINAL PHOTO OF MITCH McCONNELL?????????” she wrote in one post.
MAGA podcaster Megyn Kelly added fuel to the fire on Monday, saying on The Megyn Kelly Show that the situation seemed “a little off.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t trust anyone anymore,” she told her guest, fellow conservative commentator Michael Knowles.
The growing lack of public belief in the McConnell health claims raises questions about who is providing information to the public.
The statement from McConnell’s office was unsigned, but his most powerful aide is Terry Camack, his longtime chief of staff, who earns over $226,000 a year.
He has not commented to the Daily Beast for days.
The other source of information has been Scott Jennings, a CNN commentator, who claimed to have had a 20-minute conversation with McConnell about Iran, Ukraine, and the Maine Senate race.
But CNN distanced itself from his repeated claims, saying he was just recalling his own “personal experience,” and that his statements had not been verified or fact-checked as would be the case for a CNN report.
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