Former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, 84, experienced a concerning freezing episode during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, raising fresh alarms about his health and drawing a sharp attack from President Donald Trump on his staff.
The Kentucky Republican, who is not seeking reelection this year, attempted to conclude a hearing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before several of his colleagues had the opportunity to ask their first round of questions.
Robert Karem, a staffer on the Senate Appropriations Committee's Defense Subcommittee, interrupted McConnell to inform him that Democratic Senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, as well as Louisiana Republican John Kennedy, still had questions. The hearing continued for 30 minutes after Karem's intervention.
Trump, despite his past disagreements with McConnell, curiously came to the senator's defense and attacked Karem in a post on Truth Social.
'The guy that came up to Mitch McConnell today when McConnell thought the hearing was over and started speaking in his ear for Mitch to belatedly introduce some other people, all Democrats and, by doing so, made Mitch look foolish and completely out of it, should be immediately fired!' Trump wrote.
'This was a case where Mitch wasn't confused, he just didn't understand why he was being asked to do something when it was too late, and people were wrapping up to leave — They wanted to go home,' Trump added.
'His name is Robert Karem, he is a Never Trumper, and was grandstanding — trying to show how 'important' he was,' the president noted on X, adding that Karem had 'tremendous' support from Democrats.
Trump also accused Karem of being the reason McConnell has not backed the Save America Act, a piece of legislation focusing on voter ID, before concluding his Truth Social post with a call to action: 'Fire The Bum!'
McConnell's health has been a growing source of concern on Capitol Hill in recent years. A fall last February left him reliant on a wheelchair and an aide to navigate the Capitol hallways, and he suffered a further fall in December 2024, spraining his wrist. He has also endured several on-camera 'freezing' episodes, most notably in August 2023, when he stood motionless for 30 seconds after being asked whether he would seek re-election in Kentucky, just weeks after abruptly halting mid-sentence at a press conference. The then-81-year-old gave no response when pressed on his political future. He has since announced he will not run for re-election.
Karem has worked for McConnell at various points in his career, and served in Trump's first administration as both Acting Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary in the Department of Defense, according to Legistorm. In 2015 and 2016, he was also a Foreign Policy Adviser to Jeb Bush, working on both his exploratory committee and presidential campaign.
The longest-serving GOP Senate leader, McConnell first entered the Senate in 1985. He has long drawn the ire of Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters following a years-long feud. His wife, Elaine Chao, served as Secretary of Transportation for most of Trump's first term, but resigned in the wake of the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. In 2024, McConnell announced he would step down as Republican leader, ending an era that stretched back to 2007, clearing the way for John Thune to take the helm. His retirement from the Senate has opened up his Kentucky seat, with several Republicans vying in the primary to succeed him next Tuesday, May 19.
