Andy Beshear says he received calls that Mitch McConnell had 'passed'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he received calls from two different agencies suggesting U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell had died before the senator was released from the hospital on July 12.

Speaking on Katie Couric's YouTube channel, Beshear said the lack of public information about McConnell's condition fueled widespread speculation during the month-long period before the senator or his office provided an official update.

"It had been a month before anything had been put out, not even an official statement from Senator McConnell. In fact, I'd gotten two calls from different agencies, not state agencies, suggesting he'd passed. So, this rampant speculation that was out there, it needed to end. People deserve to know what was going on. Now, we've gotten a little bit uh we've gotten one official statement."

Beshear did not identify the agencies or provide additional details about the calls.

McConnell, 84, was hospitalized on June 14 following a fall nearly a month earlier. In the weeks between, his office released few details about his condition, prompting questions from both political leaders and the public.

Beshear has repeatedly called for greater transparency surrounding McConnell's health, saying public officials have a responsibility to reassure the people they serve.

"You know, make sure that you're reassuring people and that's part of our job as public officials. I respect everyone's privacy. I know especially for his health, it's probably important to them, but we give that up in some small part when we take on these jobs, and people have to have confidence in our ability to do them."