Congress should have a rule requiring certain top federal officials to disclose medical records, the Republican US senator Bill Cassidy said on Sunday.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Cassidy – a gastroenterologist who was elected as a US senator for Louisiana in 2008 – said that it “should certainly be a House rule” for elected officials to disclose their medical records.
“I think if you want to be the president of the United States, or a senator or House member, then there is a responsibility over and above that of just offering yourself,” Cassidy said. “It has to be that you can show that you have clarity.”
On his last show hosting Meet the Press, Chuck Todd went on to ask Cassidy whether it would be a good idea to standardize both the disclosure of tax returns and medical records.
“Actually, I think that would be reasonable, too,” Cassidy said. “Because if the voter is going to make a decision, we need to give her as much information as we possibly can.”
Cassidy’s comments follow increasing speculation surrounding the mental competence of Capitol Hill leaders, including 81-year-old Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who appeared to freeze up in front of reporters during two separate instances this summer. Meanwhile, in March, McConnell received treatment for a concussion after he tripped and fell at a Washington DC hotel during a private dinner.
The most recent freezing episode occurred less than two weeks earlier in Kentucky. McConnell appeared to freeze for more than 30 seconds before being eventually escorted away by staff members.
Afterwards, the congressional physician, Brian P Monahan, conducted several evaluations on McConnell, including brain MRI imaging, an EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a “comprehensive neurology assessment”, he said in a letter.
“There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA [transient ischaemic attack or mini-stroke] or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease,” Monahan added.
During Sunday’s interview, Cassidy praised McConnell, saying he “handled it perfectly”.
“His doctor is releasing not just the tests but the results of the tests,” Cassidy said. “And with that, there is a transparency that allows people to move beyond a number – how old is the person – into ‘What is actually the kind of science, if you will, the medical science, of how to evaluate?’ And I think that should be the standard that folks are held to, and I think he’s responded.”
Asked if he believed he had received enough information from McConnell, Cassidy said: “I do.
“The doctor is not lying.”
Cassidy urged Joe Biden to also release similar records, calling on the president to “do what Mitch just did”.
“Shouldn’t President Biden, for example, release a full kind of neurologic evaluation of his cognitive ability and whomever else?”
In addition to McConnell, other ageing Capitol Hill figures have also been facing speculation about – and at times criticism of – their mental competence.
California’s Democratic US senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, was away from Congress for months as she recovered in the hospital from shingles. Her absence prompted many Democrats to call for her resignation.
Feinstein has said that she will not be running for re-election in 2024.
Meanwhile, former House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, 83, announced this week she will be seeking re-election in 2024. After the announcement, many took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to voice their concerns over her mental fortitude.
“You’ve done great work, but it’s time to pass the torch,” one user of the social media platform wrote.
