# McConnell aide faces questions over senator’s health and $226,000 salary 2026-08-07T05:41:00+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Mitch McConnell’s chief of staff, Terry Carmack, declined to answer an independent journalist’s questions about the 84-year-old Kentucky senator’s health, whereabouts and a letter sent to President Donald Trump. Hindustan Times reports, citing the Daily Beast, that Carmack earns $226,000 a year. McConnell’s office has provided few public updates since he was admitted to George Washington University Hospital nearly seven weeks ago. The office says McConnell is recovering and working with staff, but has not confirmed whether he personally signed the July 28 letter seeking a major disaster declaration after severe flooding in Kentucky. The report says aides also declined to clarify whether the signature was produced using an autopen. Communications director Stephanie Penn, whose reported salary is $106,999, previously faced similar questions. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Tags: Kentucky flooding, Mitch McConnell, Terry Carmack, US politics, US Senate Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mcconnell-aide-faces-questions-over-senators-health-and-226000-salary/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mcconnell-aide-faces-questions-over-senators-health-and-226000-salary/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.