Not in the room where it happens: U.S. Senate's McConnell opts out of coronavirus talks

FILE PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to news reporters following a series of meetings on efforts to pass new coronavirus aid legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington in Washington, U.S., July 28, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As coronavirus aid negotiations between top White House officials and Democratic leaders in the U.S. Congress bogged down over the past week, the question reverberating through near-empty Capitol hallways has been "Where's Mitch?"

That's Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader with the reputation of being a legislative mastermind and a tough, wily deal-maker.