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PrintAttorney General Mukasey collapses during speech
Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:39 PM EST
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Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the no-nonsense former federal judge who took over the Justice Department after Alberto Gonzales resigned in disgrace, collapsed during a speech Thursday night and lost consciousness.
The 67-year-old Mukasey was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where his condition was not immediately known.
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."
Later, a senior law enforcement official said Mukasey appeared to be talking when he was taken away. He was conscious during part of the ambulance ride to hospital, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation.
Mukasey, the nation's top law enforcement official, 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 O'Connor, the department's No. 3 official, who was traveling at the time and was alerted to what had occurred.
Mukasey's was noticeably shaking during his speech before he collapsed shortly before 10:20 p.m. EST. His security detail called 911.
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 because she was not authorized to talk to the media.
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."
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said President George W. Bush was informed about Mukasey's collapse.
"The president has him in his thoughts and will be kept apprised and hopes that he will be back up and at 'em again soon."
O'Connor said about hour after Mukasey collapsed that the last information he had was that the attorney general was alert and conscious and speaking.
Bush, a fierce loyalist, ventured outside his circle of friends and Texas associates to tap Mukasey 14 months ago as Gonzales' replacement. Gonzales, the president's longtime friend and fellow Texan, quit after months of senators' demands for his resignation and investigations that called his credibility into doubt.
In a sun-drenched morning announcement on the White House lawn, Bush introduced Mukasey as "a tough but fair judge" and asked the Senate to confirm him quickly.
"Judge Mukasey is clear-eyed about the threat our nation faces," Bush said, praising his reputation as a smart and strong manager.
In his prepared remarks Thursday night, Mukasey planned to defend the Bush administration's "fundamental reorganization" of the government since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and policies put in place to detain terror suspects. He also was planning to talk about the continuing threat of al-Qaida.
Mukasey, the former chief U.S. district judge in the Manhattan courthouse just blocks from ground zero, earned a reputation as a tough-on-terrorism jurist with an independent streak.
He oversaw some of the nation's most significant terror trials in the years before and after the Sept. 11 attacks. Mukasey sentenced the so-called blind Sheik, Omar Abdel Rahman, to life in prison for a plot to blow up New York City landmarks.
And yet he once criticized the Bush administration from the bench for overstepping in a terrorism case. As a jurist, he was known for his brusqueness and impatience with people who waste his time.
Before joining the administration, the former judge was a partner at New York-based law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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 | AG released from hospital after collapse | msnbc.com | Fri Nov 21 | 0 |
 | Mukasey returns to work after collapse | Associated Press | Fri Nov 21 | 6 |
| Atty. Gen. Mukasey collapses during speech | Associated Press | Fri Nov 21 | 2 |
| US Attorney General Michael Mukasey Collapses During Speech with Stroke-Like Symptoms | Yahoo! News | Fri Nov 21 | 3 |
| Breaking News: Attorney General Mukasey Collapses During Speech | Yahoo! News | Thu Nov 20 | 0 |
- Public Discussion (32)
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7.4
1.2
{"commentId":4149196,"authorDomain":"sgsteitler"}
Karma in action for deceiving the congressional confirmation committee!
{"commentId":4149196,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"sgsteitler"}
- 1 vote
#1 - Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:21 PM EST{"commentId":4151256,"authorDomain":"dennisclatham"}
{"commentId":4153761,"authorDomain":"sgsteitler"}
Bad enough that I don't have empathy for someone who was dodgey/deceptive at confirmation, and has done nothing to push Bush to change course with human rights/detainee abuses. One more cabinet member along for the ride. Nothing to love here!
{"commentId":4153761,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"sgsteitler"}
{"commentId":4154010,"authorDomain":"dennisclatham"}
{"commentId":4149341,"authorDomain":"derev1"}
My prayers go out to him and his family. It sounds like a stroke or perhaps a petit mal at the least. By the way, I would feel the same way if it were even Prince Cheney. Although I disagree, sometimes vehemently, with some of the ethically challenged among us, I refuse to bow to the red dog of hatred.
Ni devrions-nous tous.
{"commentId":4149341,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"derev1"}
- 7 votes
#2 - Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:34 PM EST{"commentId":4149407,"authorDomain":"eric-albert"}
Both responses above are correct. Mukasey was both an obstructionist but still I hope as a human being, he comes out ok, and reflects on his role as a NEOCON....and some redemption occurs.
{"commentId":4149407,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"eric-albert"}
- 5 votes
#3 - Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:41 PM EST{"commentId":4154042,"authorDomain":"dennisclatham"}
{"commentId":4149501,"authorDomain":"upswing"}
If he dies, what a pathetic end to his life: as Bush's lickspittle.
Sad.
{"commentId":4149501,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"upswing"}
#4 - Thu Nov 20, 2008 11:53 PM EST{"commentId":4154486,"authorDomain":"dennisclatham"}
{"commentId":4157898,"authorDomain":"upswing"}
Dennis C Latham:
I hope this becomes a wake up call for him to do the right thing,
Stranger things happen at sea...
Wouldn't it be a hoot if Mukasey repents and comes out swinging at teh entire Bush criminal cartel?
Can you imagine the legal "weaponry" Mukasey would have available to him to emphatically right a plethora of epic wrongs, many of which Mukasey is responsible for by way of his criminal dereliction of duty?
{"commentId":4157898,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"upswing"}
{"commentId":4158010,"authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
Strange, the long term effects these fainting spells seem to have on our powerful lawyers.
{"commentId":4158010,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
{"commentId":4165080,"authorDomain":"dennisclatham"}
{"commentId":4170400,"authorDomain":"upswing"}
Dennis C. Latham:
Why would you torture me with dream like that coming true ?]
WHY WHY WHY ?
I dabble in false miracles ... :-)
{"commentId":4170400,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"upswing"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":4182581,"authorDomain":"dennisclatham"}
{"commentId":4184263,"authorDomain":"upswing"}
Dennis C. Latham:
I need your help on a false miracle.
Presto!
I have rid the world of Neocons! (And Yankees fans, too. Unless you're a Yankees fan. In which case I've rid the world of Red Sox fans)
abracadabra!
Mukasey is now an honest US Attorney General, who serves the people of the United States and who no longer serves the Bush family crime syndicate.
Anything else?
{"commentId":4184263,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"upswing"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":4149639,"authorDomain":"PamelaDrew"}
Mukasey was 15 to 20 minutes into his speech about the Bush administration's successes in combatting terrorism when he began slurring his words.
Either way you see it, there's a reminder that Divine powers are great and mortals all have their day.
{"commentId":4149639,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"PamelaDrew"}
- 5 votes
#5 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:09 AM EST{"commentId":4151500,"authorDomain":"djackson325"}
Pamela,
Albeit I will not offer any ill-feelings towards this person, but what you wrote is true....Divine powers always prevail over mortals'....sometimes it just takes a little longer than we wish.... Overall, I sincerely hopes he comes out of it all right and does not suffer any physical or mental damages. Being a politician is very stressful you know. I love politics but don't want the job....
{"commentId":4151500,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"djackson325"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":4153855,"authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
to bad...........because the ones taking those jobs don't seem to have very good intentions.........we need people like you in there, better principals and a dedication to country.
Wow, there's a thought........maybe in our diminished capacity its time to put regular folks in there.I mean, hell, we might as well start where integrity left off, ?!
{"commentId":4153855,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":4154528,"authorDomain":"dennisclatham"}
{"commentId":4149747,"authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
Is 10 minutes a good response time for emergency personell?
{"commentId":4149747,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
- 1 vote
#6 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:27 AM EST{"commentId":4149838,"authorDomain":"PamelaDrew"}
I'd think ten minutes is pretty good in most places.
{"commentId":4149838,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"PamelaDrew"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":4149751,"authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
mom always said, "if you can't say something nice, think of something helpful".
{"commentId":4149751,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
- 3 votes
#7 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:28 AM EST{"commentId":4150102,"authorDomain":"walterego68"}
She sounds like a wise woman. As much as I think the AG let down the people who pay him (We the People), he's still a member of our family, and I wish him a speedy recovery.
{"commentId":4150102,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"walterego68"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":4151506,"authorDomain":"djackson325"}
KLconsiders,
Or don't say anything at all....
{"commentId":4151506,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"djackson325"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":4153874,"authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
she was civic mined, so it's inbreed that I can not remain silent?)
{"commentId":4153874,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"icyn22ro"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":4149974,"authorDomain":"nano649"}
Hmmm, had mad Deja vu while reading parts of that article, like I saw it before, and recently too...
anyway, best of luck...
{"commentId":4149974,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"nano649"}
#8 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:03 AM EST{"commentId":4150024,"authorDomain":"sgsteitler"}
back in college, it was a good day for the fire department if they made it in 20 minutes. Then again they were volunteer and had to trek to the fire house from homes.
{"commentId":4150024,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"sgsteitler"}
#9 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:12 AM EST{"commentId":4151231,"authorDomain":"dennisclatham"}
{"commentId":4153151,"authorDomain":"slounsbury"}
Lies are like pebbles.
Tell one and it's not much of a burden to carry. Tell thousands and you’re crushed under the weight of them. Attorney General Michael Mukasey just reached his limit.
It’s time for him to stop defending the putrefied actions of a festering, morally corrupt government and free himself of the burden.
He’ll be better for it.
{"commentId":4153151,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"slounsbury"}
- 3 votes
#11 - Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:37 AM EST{"commentId":4168822,"authorDomain":"jcthinks"}
I vote for petit mal. I believe I observed this once at work in a public hallway when a higher-level official held herself in the corner of a closed doorway and stood there facing away, and shaking. I did not interrupt her because it seemed clear she did not wanr to be noticed and showed no signs of falling down.
{"commentId":4168822,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"jcthinks"}
#12 - Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:39 PM EST{"commentId":4170410,"authorDomain":"upswing"}
jcthinks:
I vote for petit mal.
Put it on a Republican ticket in Florida, and it would win...
{"commentId":4170410,"threadId":"424711","contentId":"2134150","authorDomain":"upswing"}
#13 - Sat Nov 22, 2008 5:42 PM EST{"canLink":false,"threadId":"424711","isPrivate":false}
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