Washington, Jul 27 (IANS): US Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell froze during a news conference, but told reporters later that he was "fine".

In the middle of remarks at his regularly scheduled weekly news conference on Capitol Hill, the 81-year-old Kentucky Republican stopped speaking on Wednesday, reports CNN.

After a 30-second pause, his colleagues crowded around to see if "he was OK" and asked him "how he felt".

Wyoming Republican Senator John Barrasso was seen gripping McConnell’s arm and whispered to him: “Hey Mitch, anything else you want to say? Or should we just go back to your office? Do you want to say anything else to the press?”

He said nothing, and was led away from the press conference and toward his office by an aide.

He returned to the news conference a few minutes later.

When asked by a CNN reporter if the development was related to his fall earlier this year, McConnell said “no, I’m fine”.In a statement issued later in the day, an aide to McConnell said that he “felt light headed and stepped away for a moment”.

“He came back to handle Q and A, which as everyone observed was sharp,” CNN quoted the aide as saying.

As he left the Capitol, the Senate Republican leader told reporters he was “fine” and said he had spoken with President Joe Biden.

“So, the president called to check on me. I told him I got sandbagged,” he said, in reference to Biden tripping over a sandbag last month.

In March, McConnell had tripped at a private dinner event and was later admitted to hospital for treatment of a concussion, as well as a minor rib fracture.

Serving his seventh term as Senator, McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984.