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Got back from Mitch McConnell's hospital, the George Washington University Hospital, and we got some updates. We're going to talk about what I saw today at the hospital. We're going to talk about his Capitol Police detail, security detail parked right out front, including someone I saw. We're also going to talk about what it means if McConnell passes away before August 3rd, if he's already passed away, and what it can mean for Kentucky's future as far as who appoints what and whether or not there's a special election in Kentucky. But. But ultimately, what I've noticed over the past 36 hours that yesterday I went to McConnell's hospital, and then today I just got back again, is that McConnell's team and those around the White House, they really don't want me to get the answer. And it was really kind of just like shutdown after shutdown after shutdown. No matter who you ask, the answer is almost always no comment, or we don't want to, or they just kind of run away, or they just refuse to answer. And so here's the thing. I don't know what they're hiding. I don't know if they're hiding something. But. But I'm going to get to the bottom of it. I'm not going to be at the White House Correspondent's Dinner tonight. Like I've said, instead, I am digging into this McConnell stuff. I'm digging into Epstein stuff and more. If you can hit the subscribe button below, we're on a road to a million subscribers. Subscribe to my substack monetarily as well, to support my work, especially as people, well, they're not really happy with me right now. So I just got back from McConnell's hospital. As you know, he is at the George Washington University Hospital. I went to George Washington University for law school. I walked past that hospital almost every single day on my way to and from the law school to my house. And, well, I knew where it was. I came to the area again today. This is not a hospital that you can just kind of like walk into and walk around. I mean, there is the emergency room department where you can just walk into, but you actually need to be sick or, like, visiting someone there. And then there's a cafeteria, which I've had lunch at multiple times and I've walked into yesterday and would walk in again and just kind of check out what's happening. And everyone you ask about Mitch McConnell, you just kind of. I like to just sit around and just kind of listen. Everyone's kind of Very mum about it. They don't really want to give any answers, right? They. They're just like, who? They don't really know who we're talking about. But out front of the hospital there is Mitch McConnell's Capitol Police detail. Today there was someone inside there, and I was able to like, kind of peek in a little bit. It was a little awkward, but I did see someone inside. It did appear to be someone from either Capitol Police or someone from his detail sitting in the vehicle. The car was on at the time. Here's what I saw. And then we're going to talk about
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it after we are back right in front of the hospital where Mitch McConnell is allegedly currently at. Now, behind me is the George Washington University Hospital. We're back here again. We were here yesterday. I want to pan over here. You see that black car right behind me to the left and the one over the right? That's his security detail. Capital detail right there. There's someone in the car. Couldn't get them to ask or to answer any questions. Now, Mitch McConnell has been here for 40 days. A lot of people have asked, just get inside the hospital. It's not that easy. You can't just get inside a hospital and see a patient. HIPAA laws.
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And also the hospital is not just
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going to let anyone even like me get inside. But Mitch McConnell is nowhere to be found. Obviously, we haven't heard from him or his team in a matter of weeks now, and we haven't seen him publicly in over 39 days. Now, here's what I wanted to take a minute to talk about, what happens next in Kentucky regarding Mitch McConnell, because in a matter of days, I believe it's either August 3rd or August 4th. It's a critical deadline. If Mitch McConnell is incapacitated and it's publicly known before August 3rd or August 4th, the governor is going to have to call what is called a special election. If he is not, if that timeline passes next week or in two weeks, I guess, then it gets a little more complicated and Governor Bashir may try to make an appointment. So we're here. I'm going to continue asking questions. No one's answering any questions for me, but we'll see what happens. Spread the word, follow for more.
- [03:37]
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So, yeah, that's me from outside of the hospital today. Like I said, no one is really answering many questions, but it is where we're at right now. And there was someone in the car, There was someone in a security detail. But as you know, every time anyone on his staff has asked questions On Capitol Hill, they just kind of run away. It's not like this person rolled down their window for me or anything. So I couldn't get anything. But we are still asking the questions we still want to demand. Because here's the thing. A lot of people actually reached out to me after my video yesterday, and they were like, well, Aaron, thank you first, thank you for doing this work and you're welcome. I appreciate your support. But they're like, well, isn't it better that Mitch McConnell isn't in the United States Senate? That's a narrative that's starting to float around right now. I get it. A lot of people say, well, they don't want another Republican vote in the Senate. Makes it harder for Republicans to pass any legislation, save Act. You name it, it'll be harder. Totally makes sense. And I actually completely get it from your perspective. Now, here's the thing, though. My job as a reporter is not a political job. Right. It's not one way or the other. I don't, I don't want to lean left or right. And so my job is to just tell you the facts, and that's what I'm going to do. That's number one. And then number two is, I think it's a very big scandal that a United States senator who's supposed to represent hundreds of thousands of people of the great state of Kentucky in the United States Senate and represent their interest, pass legislation, is getting paid thousands of dollars every month to do that is incapacitated or just not around. I think that is a bigger story, and I think that's a story that we need to track down. So in the video, I talk about August 3rd as a key deadline. Why is it a key deadline? Well, let's, let's break it down. So in 2024, Kentucky lawmakers updated their Senate vacancy law in a way that aligns with the 17th amendment to the United States Constitution, making it one of the handful of states that requires a special election. To fill a vacancy, open Senate seats must be filled by a special election. But Kentucky's Constitution says the governor can appoint a replacement if the vacancy happens close to an election. Beshear is not able to call a special election at a time of his choosing. An August 3 deadline has emerged at what many Kentucky election law observers have identified the practical cutoff for this situation. Okay, August 3rd mentioned the 17th amendment. Let me show you what the 17th amendment says. It says that the Senate of the United States shall be comprised of two senators from each state elected by the people thereof for six years, and each senator shall have one vote. The electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branches in the state legislatures. Yada yada yada. When vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the executive authority of such state, the governor shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies, provided that the legislature of any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as a legislation may direct. What that says is, if there is a vacancy in the United States Senate, there has to be a special election. Unless the legislature in that state says, no, Governor, you have the power to appoint. Well, in the state of Kentucky, the legislature actually said, well, if there is a vacancy, there has to be a special election. This is HB 62 622. So bill a bill that passed in August of 20 or April of 2024. Governor Bashir vetoed it. They overridden his veto. Essentially, they say that there has to be a special election. The candidate who certifies the winner of the special election shall hold the position of the office for which he or she has been elected for the remainder of the unexpired term. That's what they said. So the Kentucky legislature took the power of appointing anyone out of the hands of Governor Beshear, which a lot of people want Governor Beshear to do. But it's not clear whether or not that's fully constitutional, the 17th Amendment or, sorry, the Vacancies act and the Kentucky Constitution also talks about appointments, essentially that the governor shall have the ability to appoint state officers. Question is, is a senator a state office? Now, the Kentucky Supreme Court has on at least one occasion said that the United States Senate would not be considered a state office. But that hasn't really been challenged in federal courts. And so this is ultimately something that Governor Beshear could do. If McConnell is deemed incapacitated after August 3rd, close enough to an election, he can appoint someone as a Senator to replace McConnell for the remainder of his term, a Democrat. And then it'll be up to John Thune, the majority leader of this United States Senate, to seat that Democrat. And then it'll be up to the federal courts and ultimately the United States Supreme Court, whether Andy Beshear is able to make that appointment. So that is where we are at right now. I will have more updates for you soon. Make sure to Like Comment, Share get the word out so that more people know what's happening. If you can subscribe to my substack link below to support my work. As always, I'm not going to stop. Not now, not ever. And I'll see you soon. Hey folks, thanks so much for watching. Feel free to add this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you watch for the latest breaking news and daily hits throughout the day. Make sure to follow. Subscribe. See you soon for more.