No Indication Stroke Caused Mukasey's Collapse, Spokeswoman Says
Updated: Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapsed while giving a speech on national security to the Federalist Society in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, the Wall Street Journal reported. He was taken to George Washington University Medical Center.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general said Friday morning that he is doing well and there is no indication of a stroke, the Associated Press reports. He apparently fainted, Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona told reporters outside the hospital where he is being kept for observation.
President Bush spoke with Mukasey a little before 7 a.m. ET on Friday and he “sounded well,” according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. The statement said Mukasey is getting excellent care, the Washington Post reports.
Associate Attorney General Kevin O’Connor told the AP that Mukasey began shaking during the speech and collapsed.
“[Mukasey] appeared to slur about 20 minutes into his speech. … Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, who provide security for the attorney general, rushed to his aid before he fell to the floor of the podium,” according to the Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire blog.
“An FBI official said Mukasey got stuck on a word during his speech to the conservative legal group, repeated it several times and then ‘went down hard,’ ” the AP reported.
CNN reported that “a tape of the speech shows people rushing to the podium after his collapse. One man is heard asking people to please stay in their seats. In the background, a voice is heard saying ‘bring his feet up.’ “
Another unidentified man upset by the incident was taken to the hospital as a precaution, prompting authorities to sweep the room for hazardous materials, according to the Washington Post. They found nothing.
A local D.C. television station provided this report, which includes tape of the collapse:
Another local D.C. television station aired this report:
“Mukasey was on the stage for 10 minutes being attended to by his FBI detail before medics arrived, according to a Justice Department official who was there. Mukasey was still breathing at the time, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity,” the AP reported.
“Members of the audience, including former Attorney General John Ashcroft, formed a human wall so people could not view the attorney general as he was taken away,” Bloomberg reported.
“Audience members said they began praying, fearing a stroke,” reports Politico.
He collapsed shortly before 10:20 p.m. EST, the AP reported. At 10:30 p.m., medical officials were still working on him on the stage, administration witnesses told Politico. At 10:45 p.m, CNN reported on the air that he was being transported to a hospital.
Mukasey, who is 67, is a former Manhattan federal judge.
In his prepared remarks, he said “this administration’s judicial legacy includes 61 judges appointed to the courts of appeals and 261 judges appointed to the district courts. The president and the members of his administration will leave office in January, but these good judges will remain in place, many for decades to come.”
Updated at 7:15 a.m. CT to include news of the conversation between President Bush and Mukasey, and the check for chemicals. Updated at 9 a.m. CT to add spokeswoman’s comment that Mukasey did not appear to have a stroke.
