Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze and was unable to continue speaking at a news conference on Wednesday. He had to be escorted away and returned moments later after having composed himself.

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Here is a video of the incident:

Republicans were holding their last weekly press briefing before the August recess. They were going to discuss the chamber’s effort to pass a defense spending bill before the holiday begins.

McConnell was seen freezing at the podium for several seconds. A few senators including Joni Ernst of Iowa approached him, helping him to step away from the podium. He did not resist and did so.

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After a 30-second halt, his worried coworkers gathered around him to inquire about his health. “Hey Mitch, is there anything else you’d like to say?” said Wyoming Republican Senator John Barrasso. “Should we return to your office instead? Do you have any more information for the press?”

A few minutes later, he came back and refused to elaborate on what had just occurred.

“Can you address what happened here at the start of the press conference? Was it related to your injury from earlier this year when you suffered a concussion?” CNN’s Manu Raju asked. “I’m fine,” responded the senator. When Raju pressed on, asking, “You’re fine? You’re fully able to do your job?” the minority leader replied, “Yeah.”

According to a McConnell aide, the senator briefly felt light-headed and took a moment to step away. However, he returned promptly to handle the Q&A session, and as everyone witnessed, he remained sharp and composed throughout.

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The 81-year-old was previously absent for nearly six weeks from the Senate earlier in the year as a result of a mishap in which he injured his head. He cracked a rib and sustained a concussion as a result of the incident. His speech has recently been more halting, which has concerned several of his coworkers and prompted inquiries about his health.