WASHINGTON, Nov 21: US Attorney General Michael Mukasey was doing well in hospital on Friday after an apparent “fainting spell” that caused his collapse during a speech the night before, a spokeswoman said.

Justice Department Spokeswoman Gina Talamona said Mukasey was eager to return to work but the timetable would depend on tests the attorney general was undergoing.

Mukasey, 67, collapsed on Thursday evening near the end of a speech defending the Bush administration’s ‘war on terrorism’ policies to a conservative legal group, and was taken to a Washington hospital.

“It was a late-night speech under hot lights so all indications at this point are it was basically a fainting spell,” Talamona said outside the hospital, adding that it did not appear to be stroke.

Television footage of the incident showed Mukasey beginning to slur his words, then slumping at the podium as another man caught him. Mukasey’s speech to the annual dinner of the Federalist Society was intended to defend the Bush administration’s record fighting terrorism.

President George W. Bush spoke to Mukasey on Friday morning. “The AG (Attorney General) sounded well and is getting excellent care,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Mukasey has been attorney general for about a year, dealing with issues such as terrorism and crime..—Reuters