In contrast to its conspiracy mode over the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, WorldNetDaily took a much kinder approach to Sen. Mitch McConnell despite his health issue. A May 13 article by Joe Kovacs, for example, huffed that “President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged the firing of a Republican staffer who he says made U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., “look foolish and completely out of it” during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday.”
Kovacs similarly failed to conspiracy-monger over McConnell in a July 12 article:
As Americans process the unexpected death of South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, another high-profile Republican in Congress, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, released a hospital photo of himself and a statement on Sunday to dispel rumors he was brain dead.
“Last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital,” McConnell indicated, as his wife Elaine Chao is shown standing by his side.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages.
“But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.”
Kovacs waited until the final paragraph of his article to get conspiratorial:
Not everyone is convinced with McConnell’s new photo, with one meme response on X showing Lindsey Graham and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in the photo in place of McConnell and Chao with the caption: “Sooo real.”
It wasn’t until a July 27 article that Kovacs fully indulged his conspiratoral instincts on McConnell:
In another purported “proof of life” moment, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., released a photo and statement Monday updating his recovery since his June 14 hospitalization.
“I’m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders,” McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. “Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday.”
[…]It’s the first update since July 12, when another photo of the senator and his wife Elaine Chao was released, as WorldNetDaily reported.
But numerous commenters online are dubious of the latest photo and McConnell’s true condition, with reaction including:
“I will believe it when I see a video and only a video! If he can talk to Congress on the phone, he can make a video! HE OWES THAT TO KENTUCKY!”
“This looks eerily like the last photo … Why not take it in a more open area, with his doctor or friends from the Senate?”
“Why would mild pneumonia and a fall cause you to be in rehab for six weeks plus? Anyone who’s been to rehab knows they kick you out as soon as they can. Why is he in a facility and not doing home rehab? Odd.”
[…]“Um, that’s not proof of life, only of deception. The time is now for Mitch to resign.”
“Proof that ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ was a documentary, not a movie.”
The fact that Kovacs didn’t go into full conspiracy mode on McConnell the way he did for Graham tells you pretty much all you need to know about WND’s highly biased and skewed approach to reporting.