Massive blunder as news outlet prematurely releases Mitch McConnell memoriam piece

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has not passed away, at least according to current news reports — but The Hill accidentally published an article clearly intended to be embargoed until he has.

The article in question, screenshotted and posted to X ahead of its removal, was titled, "A lookback at Mitch McConnell's time in the Senate," but was prefaced by an all-caps warning to site editors, saying, "DO NOT USE."

McConnell, a decades-long titan in the Senate who previously served as Republican Leader, has been in the hospital for weeks, after he was reportedly discovered "unconscious and unresponsive" in his home, given CPR for cardiac arrest, and taken by advanced emergency support team.

Few details have been released publicly about his condition since then, although some sources have insisted he is "recovering."

This comes after Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer with close ties to the White House, alleged with no evidence that sources told her McConnell is "officially brain dead," something that no other source has corroborated.

This is not the first time in the last few weeks that a major story was erroneously published and retracted. NPR's Nina Totenberg came under fire last week after publishing an article announcing the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who as of this writing has not retired.