Mitch McConnell Brain Injury Recovery Is Highly Unlikely, Speech Pathologist Report Reveals

Mitch McConnell's chances of meaningful recovery would be 'one of the least likely' outcomes if he has suffered an oxygen-related brain injury, a speech-language pathologist has said, while stressing that she is not diagnosing the Senate Republican leader.

Hilary Shae, a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist specialising in concussion and neurological disorders, discussed her concerns about the Kentucky senator's recent public appearances during a Wednesday interview on 'The David Pakman Show'.

She questioned whether Mr McConnell's thumbs-ups and waves reflected genuine recovery. She described them as potentially automatic gestures that can remain despite significant brain damage, rather than firm evidence of his condition.

Why Shae Doubts Recovery

Asked about prospects for recovery, Shae said she did not expect an outcome that would allow Mr McConnell to function as a senator if her interpretation of his condition was correct. 'Recovery of anoxic brain injury is one of the least likely recoveries,' she said.

Shae said Mr McConnell 'really appears to be someone who has suffered' a brain injury caused by oxygen loss. Her assessment also drew on what she described as 'years' worth of falls with concussions', previous freezing episodes and post-polio syndrome. She described the freezes as periods when '20, 30 seconds goes by'.

Taken together, she said, those factors would make the outlook poor for someone who then suffered an anoxic brain injury. She also referred to the length of time since the episode she discussed. 'It's pretty significant to say it's been four-plus months and this is where we're at right now,' she said.

Gestures and Speech Under Scrutiny

Shae described Mr McConnell's movements during public appearances as 'a stereotypic gesture', which she called 'basically an automatic'. Her examples included a thumbs-up, a brief wave and an attempt to shake another person's hand.

According to her account, the other person 'basically did all the work' during that handshake. Her concern was that these familiar signs of acknowledgement did not show what other responses Mr McConnell was capable of making.

'So all of those are these automatic gestures which can sometimes be preserved with significant brain damage,' she said.

She also addressed his speech, saying Mr McConnell was 'not saying anything'. When he voted 'aye' on a farm bill, she said, somebody had first prompted him to give that answer. Her assessment rested on the interaction she described.

Other footage showed Mr McConnell being wheeled over kerbs and a bump in a doorway. Shae said she saw no bodily response as he crossed those obstacles. 'His legs don't move, his hands don't move. He's showing nothing.'

Questions Over Mitch McConnell

Shae linked her concerns to what she called Mr McConnell's 'so-called fall with pneumonia'. She also cited a 911 call reporting that 'someone was down' before 'CPR was administered'.

She said CPR starting immediately 'typically means you're not breathing'. From there, she questioned whether Mr McConnell's brain had been deprived of oxygen, and for how long. The interview account did not establish a duration.

'So how long did his brain lose oxygen?' she asked. Those remarks set out her interpretation of the reported emergency and subsequent footage. They did not establish a diagnosis, and the account included no confirmation from Mr McConnell's treating doctors.

Shae also stated her professional limits. 'Clearly, as we all know, we cannot diagnose somebody that we've never met,' she said. 'As a speech-language pathologist, I do not diagnose brain injuries.'