On Wednesday, a psychologist and body language expert raised “red flags” about the behavior of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in footage of his return to Congress after a long medical absence. According to Dr. John Garrision, McConnell’s “strange” behavior suggests a number of possible “neurological” problems that may make him unfit to serve.
McConnell was hospitalized in June after an incident in which he was alleged to be briefly unconscious. Those in his orbit downplayed the situation, saying he just needed rehab. Questions emerged, however, as his absence from Congress dragged on and rumors about his health and possible death swirled, prompting calls for “proof of life.” His staff released two photos of McConnell trying to prove he was recovering, but Garrison and others noted there were “quite a few problems” with the images. Then on Monday, McConnell was filmed as he was leaving his home to return to the Senate, and his visibly infirm appearance and behavior raised questions among viewers, including Garrison.
“There's very low responsiveness to the environment around him,” notes Garrison, pointing out that while the senator gave a little wave, indicating that he is aware that others are around, “We're seeing very, very low responsiveness. His capacity to understand what's going on around him appears very, very limited.”
After playing the video for a moment, Garrison points to something “strange” about McConnell’s facial expression. “It looks like he's trying to put on a smile,” says Garrison. “Almost like people reminded him, hey, make sure to smile at everybody. So, in some ways, it seems like he's probably able to follow instructions to some degree. Whether or not he's got the capacity to actually vote or understand what he's voting for, it's a whole other subject we'll get to. But right here, his facial expression is very, very odd. If you have watched Mitch McConnell before, this is not how he typically smiles. It's a very unnatural and unusual smile. Like I said, it's almost like somebody just said, make sure you smile. But he doesn't remember how to smile or how to look natural anymore.”
This behavior prompts Garrison to speculate that his staff may have spent the past several weeks “training” McConnell to smile his way through his return regardless of his condition. “We're seeing dramatically reduced spontaneous facial expressions,” says Garrison. “Whenever somebody doesn't have spontaneous facial expressions, immediately you know it comes across as odd. When you see somebody with a facial expression like this, it feels unsettling because his brain is not working in concert with his face. There is a disconnect somewhere. There's a disruption in the circuits of his brain. And there are so many different neurological conditions that can cause these types of problems. But the real question is, does he have the capacity to even understand what he's doing in the Senate? Clearly he's alive, but beyond that, is he able to interact in a meaningful way with legislation or what he's supposed to do?”
Garrison spots several more issues during McConnell’s brief return to the Senate floor, saying, “When he first came into frame, you could see a big smile on his face. But then when this individual reached down to shake his hand, the smile completely left. I think there was real confusion about what was going on.” As the footage continues, Garrison notes a number of interactions that could suggest comprehension problems on the senator’s part.
“It was highly, highly concerning to see him in that state,” concludes Garrison. “The biggest question is whether or not he's capable of doing his job. Based on everything we've seen so far, there are a lot of concerns that I have that he would not have the capacity to actually understand what he is doing.” While the videos indicate that McConnell has some limited ability to interact and speak, Garrison wonders, “Can he actually understand what he's doing? What kind of bills would he be passing or voting on? I think that's a really big question mark. And based on what we're seeing, I am highly, highly skeptical.”
