Nov 21, 2008
US AG collapses
WASHINGTON - US ATTORNEY General Michael Mukasey is alive, the Justice Department told AFP late on Thursday, an hour after US media reported he collapsed while delivering a speech in Washington and lost consciousness. 'Yes he is' alive, a department spokesman said when asked if Mr Mukasey was still breathing, but she declined to discuss his condition or provide any details surrounding the incident, pending the release of an official statement.
The 67-year-old Mukasey was rushed on Thursday night to George Washington University Hospital.
Mr Mukasey was delivering a speech to the Federalist Society at a Washington hotel when 'he just started shaking and he collapsed', said Associate Attorney General Kevin O'Connor. 'They're very concerned.'
Mr Mukasey was 15 to 20 minutes into his speech about the Bush administration's successes in combatting terrorism when he began slurring his words. He collapsed and lost consciousness, said Mr O'Conner, the department's No. 3 official.
Mr Mukasey was noticeably shaking during his speech before he collapsed shortly before 10.20pm EST (11.20pm Singapore time). His security detail called for an ambulance.
Mr 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. Mr Mukasey was still breathing at the time, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorised to talk to the media.
A senior law-enforcement said Mr Mukasey appeared to be talking when he was taken away. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the situation. -- AFP, AP
straitstimes.com |
