Andy Beshear Gives Mitch McConnell Ultimatum: Show Health Receipts Or Resign

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear demanded Monday that Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell prove he is capable of serving or resign.

In a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, Beshear requested that McConnell be transparent with the public after he missed 38 consecutive votes during his hospitalization and rehabilitation. The governor said he will ask Senate Majority Leader John Thune to investigate McConnell’s condition and possibly vote to expel him.

“As Governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign,” Beshear wrote. “I am further sending this letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Per our research, a vacancy in the Senate occurs when a senator dies, resigns, or is expelled by a vote of the Senate itself. If you are unwilling to voluntarily show that you still have the capacity to serve, I will insist Leader Thune fully investigate your condition, report it to the American people, and begin the process if warranted.”

“All of this speculation and even this letter could have been avoided with a minimal amount of transparency,” Beshear continued.

Beshear argued that McConnell cannot be a fully private person while he serves in public office.

“I understand anyone’s desire for privacy, but when you run for office and serve as one of the state’s two U.S. senators, you willingly abdicate much of your personal privacy. That’s the deal, and we all know it when we run,” Beshear said.

McConnell was hospitalized on June 14 after being found unconscious at his Washington, D.C., residence. A dispatch call from that date showed paramedics appearing to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for a “cardiac arrest.”

McConnell’s office released a few photographs of McConnell in the hospital and assured the public he was recovering well, through they remained silent about his condition. His office released a