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Nikki Haley calls Senate 'most privileged nursing home in the country,' says McConnell freeze-up was 'sad'
By Timothy Nerozzi
Published September 01, 2023
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley mocked the U.S. Senate on Thursday as a "nursing home."
Haley made the comments in an interview with Fox News when asked about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's latest episode of freezing up while addressing the press.
"It's sad," she told Fox News. "No one should feel good about seeing that any more than we should feel good about seeing Dianne Feinstein, any more than we should feel good about a lot of what’s happening or seeing Joe Biden’s decline."
MCCONNELL CLEARED TO RESUME 'SCHEDULE AS PLANNED' FOLLOWING KY PRESS CONFERENCE FREEZE
Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations, speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's annual Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa. (Rachel Mummey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"What I will say is, right now, the Senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country," Haley added. "I mean, Mitch McConnell has done some great things and he deserves credit. But you have to know when to leave."
McConnell has been cleared to resume his "schedule as planned" after he froze for more than 30 seconds while fielding questions from reporters in Covington, Kentucky, on Wednesday.
"I have consulted with Leader McConnell and conferred with his neurology team. After evaluating yesterday’s incident, I have informed Leader McConnell that he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned," Dr. Brian Monahan, Congress' attending physician, wrote in a note Thursday.
MCCONNELL FREEZES UP AGAIN DURING KENTUCKY NEWS CONFERENCE
"I think that we do need mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75, I wouldn’t care if they did them over the age of 50," Haley told Fox News in the interview.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., freezes while trying to answer a question from the press on Wednesday. (WXIX)
She continued, "But these are people making decisions on our national security. They’re making decisions on our economy, on the border. We need to know they’re at the top of their game."
The long-standing GOP lawmaker previously froze for about 30 seconds during a news conference alongside other Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., a month ago.
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At the time, an aide told Fox News Digital he "felt light-headed and stepped away for a moment."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nikki-haley-calls-senate-most-privileged-nursing-home-country-mcconnell-freeze-sad