Gov. Andy Beshear calls on McConnell to speak or resign

Will he replace McConnell if he does neither? And Trump asked the Supreme Court to stop mail-in ballots.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has been pressuring Mitch McConnell, who has missed 38 votes since he was hospitalized on June 14. That was over a month ago, and all Kentucky constituents have received are a few proof of life photos, in which McConnell appears stiff—no videos—and messages supposedly written by him. This week McConnell put out one of these statements claiming he’s still coming along. He’s apparently in a rehabilitation center and can’t be released yet.

Beshear is legally mandated to set the date for a special election to fill McConnell’s place if he is incapacitated, but Republicans may be covering up, trying to push the calendar out. At a certain point it will be too close to the November elections, when they want to install Rep. Andy Barr. They’re apparently worried a special election would cause chaos and help someone more MAGA or some have said they might even be worried Rep. Thomas Massie, a staunch Republican Trump foe, could be helped in getting the nomination in a chaotic special election.

The Signorile Report is free and reader-supported. If you’ve valued reading The Signorile Report, consider becoming a paid subscriber and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!

Beshear, like most governors, should have the right to appoint someone in McConnell’s place, but Kentucky Republicans in the legislature passed a law in 2024 banning him from doing so, with a veto-proof majority. Legal experts, however, say it’s unconstitutional, and Beshear has said he would challenge it in court.

Beshear has now upped the pressure, telling McConnell to speak or resign.

McConnell’s office had released another photo of MConnell with his wife during his absence. It wasn’t enough for Beshear who wrote McConnell a letter yesterday.

As Governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.

Per our research, a vacancy in the Senate occurs when a senator dies, resigns, or is expelled by a vote of the Senate itself.

If you are unwilling to voluntarily show that you still have the capacity to serve, I will insist Leader Thune fully investigate your condition, report to the American people, and begin the process if warranted.

Does that mean Beshear is going to pull the trigger, appointing a replacement and challenging the law in court that bars him from doing so? He’s not exactly saying that, but calling on McConnell to resign or prove he’s not incapacitated seems to be coming close to a move.

Linsdey Graham debased himself for power. And then he died.

Beshear also wrote, “Important events are happening in our country right now during your absence.”

And then he went over the issues plaguing the country.

President Trump is stuck in a war of his own making and has greatly strengthened the very country he claims is a threat.

Prices continue to rise, crushing Americans who are working hard but not getting ahead. Americans’ voting rights are being eliminated by the Supreme Court and threatened by congressional action. All while you are absent and refuse to communicate clearly and directly to the people you serve.

Does McConnell even know any of those things are happening? Is he aware? We need more answers, and Beshear will hopefully make a move.

Trump taking the states to the Supreme Court to stop mail-in votes

Meanwhile, those threats Beshear points to from Trump are continuing, as Trump yesterday appealed a lower court ruling throwing out his executive order that demanded the U.S. Postal Service not deliver mail ballots to voters in states that have not shared their voter rolls with him and his stooges at the Department of Homeland Security.

Twenty-three states and the District of Colombia sued and won in federal court. An appeals court upheld the ruling at the end of the week. “Under the Constitution, state and local officials are responsible for administering federal elections,” the court said in a 2-1 decision, backing the lower court ruling that stated, “The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections.” The district court judge underlined the words “does not.”

The appeals court also stated the executive order “would sow confusion and threaten disenfranchisement of many eligible voters.”

But Trump’s Department of Justice quickly appealed this to the Supreme Court in an emergency application, 98 days before the election. Many people will be voting in less than 60 days, as early voting begins in some states as early as mid-September.

The people whose lives Trump sees as disposable

The Supreme Court has now asked for the 23 states and Washington, D.C., to file a response to the emergency application by August 3rd. I guess they could have decided not to hear the case at all, but, as with everything Trump, they take up what he demands, usually on the shadow docket, which is not transparent.

The court already has voted to allow mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining the three liberals in a 5-4 decision. And this case seems absurd.

But does any of us trust this Supreme Court enough to say for sure? I don’t think so.