Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell hospitalized after fall

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, one of the most influential figures in Washington, has been hospitalized after tripping and falling at a hotel in the U.S. capital on Wednesday, his spokesperson said.

McConnell, who is 81 and was first elected to the Senate in 1984, "tripped at a local hotel during a private dinner. He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment," his spokesperson said in a statement early on Thursday, giving no further details.

Representatives for McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.

The Kentucky senator's legislative skills have torpedoed many Democratic initiatives over the years, both when his party held a majority in the chamber and when Democrats have held the edge, as they currently do.

McConnell has long been criticized by Democrats, particularly for his tactics that allowed Republicans to build a 6-3 conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, including having the Senate refuse to consider a 2016 nomination to the high court by Democratic then-President Barack Obama.