Jen Psaki didn’t hold back when recapping Republicans’ effort to explain the status of Mitch McConnell’s health, blasting their posts about the ill senator as “cringey and bizarre.”
In a video message posted to YouTube Thursday, the MS NOW host weighed in on the mystery surrounding Sen. McConnell (R-Ky)’s health, given the notable Republican has not been seen since his reported hospitalization last month.
“There have not been many updates about his health or what landed him there in the first place,” Psaki said. “The governor of Kentucky, the state that Mitch McConnell is a senator from … he also sent a letter to his office asking for an update on McConnell’s health as concern grows.”
As Psaki went on, she defended that “McConnell is a public servant” and has his salary paid for by the taxpayers, which means the public “of course” has a right to “know more about his health.”
However, in an effort to assuage concern, several of McConnell’s Republican peers, including CNN’s Scott Jennings, issued statements that they spoke to him.
“This week, a few Republicans claimed they spoke to him on the phone at length,” Psaki said. “And it is just so cringey and bizarre what they did … The earliest cringey effort was a post … by none other than Scott Jennings at CNN.”
Psaki then read aloud Jennings’ X update, which noted: “I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell, the senior senator from Kentucky. He’s recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes about Iran, Ukraine, the unfolding situation in Maine, my visit to the TR presidential library and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible.”
The commentator appeared quite skeptical about Jennings’ claim, sarcastically quipping while reading his message aloud: “Did you now?”
“Okay, it is hard to believe that Mitch McConnell, who hasn’t been seen or heard from since June 14th, is having a conversation about Iran and Ukraine,” Psaki sounded off. “So, there is that. And there were other posts like this. It seems like everybody has had a 20-minute conversation with him that is in-depth about some complicated policy issues. I don’t really buy it, but who knows?”
Though, Psaki noted that only a handful of Republicans are touting this narrative, highlighting how others have had fun with the controversy. She specifically shouted out Rep. Thomas Massie’s joke response, which read: “I spoke to McConnell for about 20 minutes this morning. He said we should end the war with Iran. Quit giving aid to Israel. Stop spying on Americans without a warrant. And he’s really sorry about how my primary turned out.”
Watch Psaki full commentary above.
