New Delhi, July 3 -- 36 a.m. Six minutes later, the responding medic radioed back: CPR was in progress.

The gap between that scene and what McConnell's office told the public is striking. When the senator's hospitalization was announced that same morning, his spokesperson said he was "receiving excellent care." No statement from his office on June 14, or in the three weeks since, had mentioned a cardiac arrest call, CPR, or the Advanced Life Support crew at his home.

A spokesperson said Thursday that McConnell "continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session."

The sequence in the scanner audio is precise. At 8:36 a.m. on June 14, a dispatcher directed an Adva...