Sen. Mitch McConnell, 84, has revealed that a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking weeks of silence about his health condition. In a statement, McConnell explained that he was “briefly unconscious” around the time he was first taken to the hospital and has undergone a battery of tests to try and determine what led to his fall.

McConnell’s Health Update

McConnell said he was also treated for mild pneumonia and has been moved to a rehabilitation facility. His doctors have confirmed that he didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion, and he is now “regaining my strength.” McConnell explained the four-week silence about his condition by saying that “folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older.”

McConnell had provided little information since his hospitalization on June 14, his office insisting only that he was “receiving excellent care” and recovering. Speculation about his condition grew so intense that Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear took the extraordinary step last week of issuing a public letter asking McConnell to update the public in a “transparent manner.”

McConnell is retiring at the end of January after one of the most consequential careers in modern politics. Republicans have nominated U.S. Rep. Andy Barr to replace him, while Democrats have nominated former state lawmaker Charles Booker. McConnell said he is determined to finish out his term, stating, “I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.”

Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.