Pat Dollard | Young Americans

*** Bump Update:

WASHINGTON (USATODAY.com) — Attorney General Michael Mukasey was expected to be released Friday from a Washington hospital after collapsing during a speech late Thursday night.

Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said there was no evidence the 67-year-old attorney general had suffered a stroke or heart problem after being stricken in the midst of a speech.

He is doing well,” Talamona said. “He’s very alert. It appears to be a fainting spell.”

She said Mukasey, the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, was anxious to leave George Washington Hospital after undergoing tests.

“He’s been basically given a clean bill of health,” Talamona said. She said Mukasey had passed a treadmill stress test, a stress echocardiogram and a MRI. She also said doctors ruled out a stroke.

The attorney general was about 20 minutes into a speech Thursday at the opening dinner of the annual convention of the Federalist Society, a group of conservative and libertarian lawyers who advocate judicial restraint.

Mukasey, wearing a tuxedo, was speaking about the nation’s legal response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when he began slurring his words and then slumped at the podium. A member of his security detail caught Mukasey in his arms before he collapsed.

Members of the detail and a doctor on the scene gave emergency first aid until paramedics arrived, Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said.

Mukasey, a former federal judge in New York who handled high profile terrorism cases, replaced Alberto Gonzales as attorney general Nov. 9, 2007.

A former prosecutor and a graduate of Yale Law School, Mukasey was appointed in 1988 by President Reagan to the U.S. District Court in New York City and served until 2006 when he returned to private practice. While on the bench, Mukasey presided over the trial of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 11 others charged with conspiring to blow up the World Trade Center and other New York sites.

After a contentious nomination hearing that nearly stalled over his response to questions about whether waterboarding is torture, Mukasey’s year-long tenure at the Justice Department has been relatively calm. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have questioned Mukasey closely on some issues, such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The incident did not require a transfer of authority to the deputy attorney general, Talamona said.

“The person who was in charge yesterday is in charge today,” she said.

*** Update:

(FOX)

Justice Department says he is now ‘conscious, conversant and alert’ [ ... ]

Prayers, Sir …

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapsed during a speech Thursday night and lost consciousness, a Justice Department official said.

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.”

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 O’Conner, the department’s No. 3 official.

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.

A senior law-enforcement said Mukasey appeared to be talking when he was taken away. That official also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapsed during a speech Thursday night and lost consciousness, a Justice Department official said.

The 67-year-old Mukasey was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where his condition was not immediately.

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.”

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 O’Conner, the department’s No. 3 official. It was unclear whether he regained consciousness.