Attorney General Michael Mukasey 'Very Alert,' Recovering After Thursday Collapse

U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey had an "uneventful night" and is "very alert" this morning after he collapsed during a speech in Washington Thursday night, a Justice Department spokeswoman said today.

"He's ready to sprint to the finish of the race" and get back to the office, Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said, adding that the deputy attorney general, Mark Filip, will brief him at the hospital.

Doctors found no indication of a stroke or heart-related event but they are performing additional tests this morning, Talamona said.

The incident, which occurred around 10:20 p.m. ET Thursday, "really appears to be a fainting spell," likely triggered by hot lights and the late-night speech, she said.

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.

President Bush spoke to Mukasey 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.

The two men worked together in New York when Giuliani was an assistant U.S. attorney and Mukasey was a federal judge. Mukasey administered Giuliani's oaths of office in 1994 and 1998.


Source: abcnews.go.com