Sen. Mitch McConnell cast one vote Thursday but missed two later Senate votes, leaving his office with fresh questions about his limited return.

The Kentucky Republican returned to Capitol Hill after a three-month absence, but his Thursday schedule remained largely out of public view. The Daily Beast reported that McConnell participated in one vote before missing two more that afternoon.

McConnell’s office gave no immediate explanation for the missed votes or his whereabouts after the first proceeding. That silence left basic questions unanswered about how fully the 84-year-old senator had resumed his duties.

Independent journalist Desirée Townsend recorded McConnell outside his Washington, D.C., home Thursday morning. The video showed his team placing him into an SUV while he sat in a wheelchair. Chief of staff Terry Carmack accompanied him.

McConnell later recorded a “yea” on a preliminary vote needed to advance a bipartisan college-sports bill. Senate floor video did not show him when his name was called and the vote was recorded.

One recorded vote gave way to two Senate absences

McConnell did not participate in the next procedural vote Thursday afternoon. He was one of four senators who did not vote in that proceeding.

He also did not participate in a vote to confirm a federal district judge. Six senators missed that vote.

Those absences do not establish why McConnell left or whether health concerns affected his schedule. No reason was provided, and his office did not immediately answer questions about where he went after the earlier vote.

The unanswered questions carried added weight because McConnell had only recently returned from an extended absence. His hospitalization began June 14, but no medical condition explaining that hospitalization or his limited return was identified.

Wednesday’s committee appearance raised more questions

A day earlier, McConnell attended a Senate Agriculture Committee meeting and voted to advance the Farm Bill. Republican Sens. John Hoeven and John Boozman sat beside him.

McConnell made no remarks during the meeting. After his name was called twice, he answered “aye.” He appeared to stare ahead while others spoke and later left the room early in a wheelchair.

Dr. Anahita Dua told The Daily Beast that McConnell’s recovery was incomplete. She expressed concern about his return to Congress and the danger posed by another fall.

That medical concern should not become an excuse for armchair diagnosis. But it does make transparency from McConnell’s staff more necessary, especially when the senator misses official business without a public explanation.

Monday’s brief statement offered few answers

McConnell made his first public statement after returning outside the Senate chamber Monday. He kept the appearance brief and did not take questions.

Reporters could not record video in that area under a rule McConnell supports as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. During the week, he made only short public appearances while leaving home, arriving outside his Senate office building and moving through Capitol hallways.

By Thursday afternoon, the central issue was no longer whether McConnell had physically returned to Washington. It was whether his return included the regular public work and voting attendance Kentuckians have a right to expect from their senator.

McConnell deserves privacy about personal medical details. Voters still deserve a direct account of whether their senator can consistently perform the job.