Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao has returned to the United States from China on Tuesday after questions swirled about her whereabouts while her husband remained hospitalized.
Staff for Chao told Newsweek that she had returned after saying over the weekend that there had been no need for her to head home before, despite concerns over McConnell's health.
McConnell who is now 84, is serving out his final term, which ends in January 2027 but has been missing from the Senate for multiple weeks.
MTG's ‘Chinese spy’ claim sparks row
Chinese state media reported that Chao met Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing on June 17, three days after McConnell was hospitalized.
Chinese reports said Han called for stronger US-China relations.
Also Tuesday, Republican former Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene told TMZ that she believed Chao was acting as a Chinese spy who had bailed on her husband to head to China to meet with the country's vice president shortly after her husband was hospitalized.
Also Read: Mitch McConnell health update: 'Brain dead' rumors surface as senator remains hospitalized
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: Mitch McConnell health update: 'Brain dead' rumors surface as senator remains hospitalized
{{/usCountry}}Greene then posted on X on July 8: “Elaine Chao, who is likely a Chinese spy married to Mitch McConnell, has been in China almost the entire time the nearly dead Senator has been in the hospital. And she met with China's VP. Now that she's back, they are running a PR campaign. Sure totally normal.”
Chao's spokesperson told Newsweek, “The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family's philanthropic endeavors. During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the U.S. ambassador. The Senator's health did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.”
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Where is Mitch McConnell now?
McConnell remained hospitalized as of Tuesday morning, following a medical emergency at his Washington residence on June 14. His office has released limited information about his condition, saying he is receiving care and continuing to recover.
“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” McConnell's office told Newsweek on Tuesday. “The Senator continues to improve and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
Amid the lack of official updates, right-wing activist Laura Loomer posted unverified claims on X citing an anonymous source that, “High level source close to the White House tells me 'Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He's not coming back,'”
Who is Mitch McConnell's wife?
Elaine Chao is a former Cabinet member who served under Presidents George W Bush and Donald Trump. B She was born in Taipei in Taiwan and then she moved to the United States as a child and later became a US citizen.
Chao married Mitch McConnell in 1993 and they do not have children together. McConnell has three daughters from his first marriage to Sherrill Redmon.