Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was caught on camera falling in the hallway of the U.S. Capitol building on Thursday (Oct 16).
Per The Seattle Times, the senator was walking with a security detail in the Russell Senate Office Building when a member of the progressive group The Sunrise Movement began questioning him about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and another member was filming.
“Do you support ICE taking working people off the streets and kidnapping them?” the woman asked.
That’s when McConnell abruptly fell to the ground.
“He’s all good — went on to vote and ready to vote again at 1:30 p.m. to see if (Democrats) decide to fund our nation’s defense priorities or not,” a McConnell spokesperson wrote.
The video has been shared widely on social media.
The Senate was scheduled to consider a measure to advance a full-year defense appropriations bill, despite the ongoing government shutdown.
In a statement to USA TODAY, the Sunrise Movement group criticized McConnell’s age.
“Mitch McConnell couldn’t even answer a simple question without falling down, and it’s certainly not the first time he hasn’t been able to answer young people,” said Aru Shiney-Ajay, the executive director of the Sunrise Movement. “Both parties are run by out-of-touch octogenarians who have been in politics for longer than we’ve been alive. Their incompetence and need to cling to power aren’t just embarrassing; they’re costly, and the American people are paying the price.”
McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, has suffered several falls and health scares in recent years — including freezing up on camera multiple times. His colleagues have long noted that he often appears checked out and hard of hearing.