A right-wing political activist with close ties to President Donald Trump and senior figures in his administration has claimed that former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is "brain dead" and will not be returning to Congress.

The bombshell claim by online influencer Laura Loomer came after days of speculation swirling around the 84-year-old Kentucky senator's ailing health.

McConnell suffered a heart attack on June 14, and aides have refused to provide details about his condition other than insisting he was recovering in the hospital.

"High level source close to the White House tells me 'Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He's not coming back,'" Loomer wrote in a post on X.

Operating outside of an official government title, Loomer, 33, has been nicknamed "Trump's loyalty enforcer" by administration insiders aware of her close relationship with the president.

She has successfully lobbied the administration to oust aides, cancel appointments, and shift policies regarding personnel she deems insufficiently loyal.

Loomer previously flew on Trump's campaign jet, and has bragged of her ability to speak to Trump and to those in his inner circle. That makes the idea that she would be the recipient of a leak about McConnell's health at the very least possible.

Loomer's assertion could not be officially verified despite repeated requests for comment to McConnell's staffers.

But Desiree Townsend, the journalist who first obtained a recording from emergency responders saying McConnell was unconscious after suffering a cardiac arrest on June 14, wrote on X: "I have heard the same thing from my sources for days. At this point, I am at the hospital for when they eventually decide to... cut him off of life support and move his body. His Capitol police detail is still here as of 3:39 p.m. ET."

"I think this whole situation surrounding Mitch McConnell just became far more serious," wrote Kylie Jane Kremer, the executive director of the MAGA organization Women for America First, in a post to X.

Later Monday night, Loomer followed up on her initial post, claiming that a White House source told her McConnell was in "organ failure."

"The White House has been told 'McConnell isn't ever coming back,'" she added.

McConnell's office would not even confirm if he was conscious and would not say whether he was on life support. When the Daily Beast requested clarification, a spokesperson pointed to a statement released on July 2, saying: "Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.

"The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session."

On Monday, McConnell's communications director, Stephanie Penn, said in response to specific questions from the Daily Beast about the senator's condition that the office "will be sure to keep you updated."

McConnell's chief of staff is Terry Carmack, whose reported salary exceeds $226,000.

Despite the statement, speculation continued to swirl over McConnell's health with no sightings of the veteran politician since he was rushed to the hospital more than three weeks ago.

Neighbors at his Washington, D.C. home said they had not seen McConnell since he was taken to the hospital.

McConnell's wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, was spotted in China three days after his hospitalization. She has not made any comment about her husband's health.

The longtime senator, who has held his seat since 1985, has faced a series of health challenges in recent years. In February, he checked himself into a hospital and spent more than a week there while being treated for "flu-like symptoms."

He is not seeking re-election and is set to retire from the Senate at the end of his term in early January.