Experts stunned by report of GOP rep allegedly found in dementia facility

22 December 2024

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional information. The headline has also been changed.

Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) had been "missing" for several months, before The Dallas Express staff writer Carlos Turcios reported Friday that the newspaper allegedly discovered the Republican lawmaker's whereabouts.

Turcios reported, "According to Ms. Granger’s roll call vote page, Grangers last vote was on July 24th, 2024," and when the newspaper tried contacting the Lone Star state lawmakers' Texas and DC offices, "calls went directly to voicemail where a recorded message from Congresswoman Granger plays."

Her office appears to be closed for good (she is retiring at the end of the session) with phone calls going unanswered and voice mails not returned.

The Dallas Express writer added that one of Granger's constituents claimed that she "has been residing at a local memory care and assisted living home for some time after having been found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood."

Shortly after, "The Dallas Express team visited the facility to confirm whether Granger was residing there and to inquire about how she planned to vote on the spending bill. Upon arrival, two employees confirmed that Granger is indeed living at the facility," Turcios reported.

A slew of journalists and political experts weighed in.

Referring to a WCBM News-Talk Radio headline, CNN senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere wrote via X: "Says a lot about a lot of things that this headline exists: 'Missing' GOP Congresswoman Not Seen For Six Months Finally Found Living at Dementia Care Home"

Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan emphasized: "American gerontocracy, on both sides of the political aisle, is an absolute embarrassment"

The independent DC bureau chief Eric Michael Garcia added: "Kay Granger David Scott, Thad Cochran and Dianne Feinstein reveal a big problem that Congress rewards seniority to build power. That incentivizes people to stay long past their expiry date."

Congressional reporter Jamie Dupree noted: "Rep. Kay Granger R-TX did not run for reelection in 2024. She gave up her gavel as the chair of the House Appropriations Committee in April. The last time Granger voted was in July. No explanation has been offered by her office."

University of Virginia Center for Politics director Larry Sabato wrote: "This is astounding—and an outrageous example of a lack of transparency."

NPR journalist Brian Mann added: "The story of 81-yr-old US Rep. Kay Granger reportedly living in a dementia facility while missing votes highlights need for better reporting on the aging of America's leaders. US lawmakers older than 70 now outnumber those under age 40 by more than 3-to-1."

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