McConnell’s office says he will serve through 2024 as GOP leader

By Jedd Rosche, CNN

(CNN) — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to serve the rest of the 118th Congress as the GOP leader, the Kentucky Republican’s office said in a statement Friday.

Questions about the future of McConnell, 81, were swiftly raised this week after he froze for 30 seconds during a news conference. The statement doesn’t address his plans in the next Congress, which begins in 2025.

McConnell suffered a concussion and broken ribs from a fall he endured earlier this year. He was hospitalized and forced to go to rehab for several weeks before returning to the Senate in the spring. Following the news conference on Wednesday, CNN reported that McConnell has also suffered two other falls this year, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

McConnell declined to explain why he paused and left his news conference, though an aide said he was feeling light-headed.

“I’m fine,” McConnell told reporters when asked about the incident.

This year, McConnell broke the record for longest-serving Senate party leader in history, leading the chamber’s Republicans since 2007.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.