Herald-Leader article references McConnell's own Vencor link

A day after U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Louisville) campaign referenced opponent Bruce Lunsford's (D-Louisville) history as head of the troubled nursing home chain, Vencor, the Lexington Herald-Leader notes McConnell has his own connection to the Vencor controversy.

John Cheves writes that McConnell's wife, and U.S. Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao served on Vencor's board of directors from 1997 to 2001.

Cheves notes that period encompasses Vencor's bankruptcy in 1999.

Lunsford served as Vencor's CEO until January of 1999. In 2001, the company agreed to a $104.5 million settlement with the federal government over charges of "overbilling," "failure of care claims," and "improper" claims on Medicare reports.

"Here is how it works in Lunsford's world: You run a nursing home business that takes millions from the federal government, and then you are forced to pay record fines for treatment of senior citizens. Then you bankrupt the business but make sure that you walk away with millions," said McConnell's campaign manager Justin Brasell in a statement responding to a new Lunsford ad.

When asked about Chao's own Vencor connections earlier this year, McConnell responded by focusing on Lunsford.

"My only response is, who was running the company?" said McConnell.