Attorney General Michael Mukasey Receives 'Clean Bill of Health' After Thursday Collapse
Justice Department Says Mukasey Did Not Suffer a Stroke or a Heart-Related Incident
By PIERRE THOMAS, JASON RYAN and THERESA COOK
Nov. 21, 2008
U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey has received a "clean bill of health" and expects to return to work at the Justice Department after his release from the hospital this afternoon, a Justice Department spokeswoman said Friday morning.
U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey was rushed to a hospital after he collapsed during a speech he was giving in Washington. Mukasey, 67, was delivering remarks on the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policies at the Federalist Society's annual meeting when he collapsed at the podium around 10:20 p.m. ET Thursday.
Earlier Friday, Talamona said test results had been "reassuring," and that doctors found "no indication that he suffered a stroke or any heart-related incident." She later added that results from various tests, including a CT scan, MRI, stress echocardiogram, and treadmill stress test, came back normal. "Everything looks great," she said.
Mukasey spent an "uneventful night" at the hospital and was "very alert." The incident "really appears to have been a fainting spell," likely triggered by hot lights and the late-night speech, Talamona said.
"He is ready to sprint to finish the race. He is really ready to get back to the office," she said, adding that the deputy attorney general, Mark Filip, planned to brief him at the hospital.
Talamona, who said the attorney general gets up early every morning and works out on the elliptical [machine]," said doctors characterized Mukasey as "very fit."
President Bush spoke to the attorney general this morning before departing for the APEC summit in Peru. "The AG sounded well and is getting excellent care," according to a White House statement.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani also spoke to Mukasey this morning. "They had a good conversation and he sounded good," a Giuliani spokeswoman said.