Video shows Mitch McConnell appearing in a press conference with a bandage around his head.
Edited video shows Mitch McConnell with bandaged head
If your time is short
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The video has been edited from a July 26, 2023, press conference during which Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell suddenly stopped speaking while delivering remarks.
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McConnell was not wearing a head bandage during that conference.
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McConnell sustained minor injury to his face and hand following a Dec. 10 fall at the U.S. Capitol, his office said. He was photographed wearing a Band-Aid on his cheek and a brace on his hand.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tripped at the Capitol Dec. 10 and sustained minor injuries. A video shared on social media purported to show McConnell speaking to reporters afterward.
“Senator, is your head okay after that fall?” someone asked in a Dec. 12 Instagram video. McConnell, shown in the video with a bandage wrapped around his head, stared ahead blankly without responding.
Screenshot from X
The Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.) We also saw it being shared on TikTok and X.
But this video has been manipulated. It comes from an unrelated and widely covered July 26, 2023, press conference during which McConnell suddenly stopped speaking. In the unedited video of the Capitol Hill scene, McConnell wasn’t wearing a head bandage nor did a reporter ask him about his fall.
Photos of McConnell after the Dec. 10 accident showed him with a Band-Aid under his eye and a brace on his hand, not a bandage around his head.
We rate the claim that a video shows McConnell appearing in a press conference with his head bandaged False.
Our Sources
CNN, Mitch McConnell sprains wrist and cuts his face after fall in the Capitol, Dec. 10, 2024
Instagram post (archived), Dec. 12, 2024
TikTok post (archived), Dec. 10, 2024
X post (archived), Dec. 12, 2024
YouTube, Sen. Mitch McConnell freezes during press conference, July 26, 2023
The Associated Press, Senate McConnell, Dec. 10, 2024
The Hill, McConnell receives medical attention after falling, Dec. 10, 2024
