OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
3:44 PM – Wednesday, December 11, 2024
The surfacing revelation that GOP Texas Representative Kay Granger had been missing from the public spotlight for almost six months before she was discovered to be living at an independent care facility rocked political headlines over the weekend.
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Despite the lower house being on recess during August and October, the veteran lawmaker, who was elected to Texas’ 12th District in 1997, has not cast a vote since July, which has angered those who believe her team has been too secretive about her health.
Granger’s family and staff have rejected rumors that the 81-year-old representative is living in the facility’s memory care unit, while still confirming that she is in fact a resident of an independent living facility. They further added that since moving in, she has now been exhibiting symptoms of dementia.
The Congresswoman’s son, Brandon Granger, told the press that over the three months since she moved into the facility, she has shown rapid symptoms of dementia.
His mother voluntarily moved into the community, he maintained, arguing that certain theories revolving around the idea that she ended up in a memory care facility after “losing her mind” is “a load of bulls–t.”
“They have a memory care facility there, but she’s in [an] independent living facility. It’s a nice condo. I helped her move in,” Brandon Granger told The Post.
Her decline has been “very rapid and very difficult,” the Congresswoman’s son reiterated.
However, The Dallas Express outlet previously reported that Kay Granger had been absent for months and was in a memory care facility, sparking speculation about her location. Two alleged staff members who “confirmed that Granger is indeed living at the facility” and a social media post from a user connected to Fort Worth, Texas, were highlighted in that article.
Additionally, another source who reached out to the press says that any claims related to how the Republican Congresswoman is in a “memory care” unit are “categorically false.” This source is not related to Granger.
“In July, as she started preparing for the future for her retirement, she made the decision to downsize and move into this [new residence],” the source said. “Had she known that she would be unable to vote for the last few weeks of the session, she would have made different preparations.”
“As with most illnesses, it’s hard to predict,” the source noted. “She has been in contact with leadership from the beginning, letting them know what was going on, and would have been happy to travel back to DC if they needed her for a specific vote, and they knew that.”
The source emphasized that there would have been a special election, and her constituents in Texas’ 12th Congressional district would not have had access to essential services if Kay Granger, who was originally elected to the lower chamber in 1997, had retired in September.
When his mother decided to relocate into the institution, Brandon Granger defended her choice.
“A lot of people there are younger than she is. A lot of them still work,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be around people she can spend time with, have a cocktail with.
“She just decided to retire. She’s 81,” he added.
Rep. Thomas Cole (R-Okla.) took over as chair of the House Appropriations Committee in March after Kay Granger resigned. Notably, she was also absent from the vote on government financing during last week’s most recent spending dispute.
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