Mukasey collapses during speech

"We do not know the details of his condition yet. We are trying to find that out," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the sensitive matter.

Mukasey, a 67-year-old retired federal judge from New York, was rushed by ambulance to nearby George Washington University Hospital, where a representative would not comment on his condition.

The nation's top lawyer and law enforcement official was about 15 minutes into his speech before a packed crowed at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the conservative Federalist Society when he appeared to hesitate, and then dropped to the floor.

The Associated Press reported that Mukasey was noticeably shaking during the speech at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel in Washington, before collapsing at about 10:20 p.m.

Some attendees in the first few rows -- including former Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft -- formed a circle around Mukasey to shield him from sight until medics could arrive.

The Associated Press quoted a Justice Department official as saying that Mukasey was talking when he was whisked away on a gurney and taken to the trauma center, which is several miles away.

President Bush was notified about Mukasey's collapse, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said. "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."

The Justice Department official said that while Mukasey's immediate condition was not known, he was still being treated by medical personnel at the hospital at 11:20 p.m., or an hour after he passed out.

Mukasey became attorney general almost exactly one year ago, after Alberto R. Gonzales resigned to end a stormy tenure that included criticism that he and his staff improperly politicized the department, in part by hiring and firing lawyers and other officials based on their politics.

Mukasey enjoyed a stellar reputation as a federal judge in Manhattan, where he presided over significant cases that included some prominent terrorism prosecutions, including that of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 11 co-defendants charged with conspiring to blow up numerous sites in New York.