I think it’s entirely possible that Mitch is on life support and the family intends to keep him that way until after the deadline for a special election passes. But I’m not necessarily buying the theory that Elaine Chao traveled to China just so she wouldn’t be available to sign off on removing him from life support.
She could just as easily refuse to pull the plug while sitting next to his hospital bed. She didn’t have to fly to the other side of the world. I doubt very much that she decided “Oh, ****! I’d better get out of the country so they can’t pull the plug without my consent.”
Conversely, if the situation was reversed and Chao wanted to remove Mitch from life support but happened to be out of the country, I’m fairly certain she could find a way to make it happen through attorneys. Faxes are still considered legal documents and I’m pretty sure China has fax machines.
I think Chao’s trip was probably already scheduled and just happened to coincide with Mitch’s medical emergency. The idea that she intentionally fled the country for the purpose of prolonging Mitch’s vegetative existence doesn’t make sense, mostly because I don’t think it was necessary.