Mrs. Clinton Has Health Episode 90 Min.into 911 Ceremony
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| Mrs. Clinton 2Hrs after health episode |
Hillary Clinton is being treated for pneumonia, her campaign said Sunday following the emergence of a video earlier in the day that appeared to show the Democratic presidential nominee in the process of fainting.
Clinton abruptly departed the 9/11 memorial ceremony Sunday morning, prompting immediate questions about the politician’s health. Following her exit, Clinton was whisked away first to her daughter Chelsea’s Madison Square Park apartment, and then to her home in Chappaqua.
At first, the Clinton campaign said only that she felt “overheated” and provided little other information. But later Sunday afternoon, Clinton’s doctor released a statement through the campaign explaining the nature of the former secretary of state’s ailment.
“Secretary Clinton has been experiencing a cough related to allergies. On Friday, during follow up evaluation of her prolonged cough, she was diagnosed with pneumonia,” Dr. Lisa R. Bardack said in a statement.
“She was put on antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule. While at this morning’s event, she became overheated and dehydrated. I have just examined her and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely,” Bardack wrote.
While GOP rivals have for months focused on rumors about Clinton’s supposed health problems, questions began percolating in earnest Sunday morning after Clinton struggled to stand as she left the 9/11 memorial ceremony Sunday morning.
The Democratic presidential nominee left the 15th anniversary event around 9:30 a.m., departing in a van on the sidelines of the memorial in Manhattan.
The Clinton camp said following her exit that the candidate felt “overheated” and retreated to her daughter Chelsea Clinton’s Madison Square Park apartment.
A statement about 90 minutes after her sudden exit said Clinton was feeling "much better."
Clinton stepped out of the apartment alone shortly before noon. She chatted with a little girl outside, smiled and waved to reporters and shouted, “It’s a beautiful day in New York!”
She told media she was "feeling great," but dodged all other questions before hopping into a van and leaving.
Clinton aide Huma Abedin departed separately moments later, and Chelsea Clinton stepped out later while ignoring reporters.
Reps said Clinton headed to her home in Chappaqua, N.Y., where the campaign later revealed, she had been seen by her doctor.
The campaign revealed Clinton’s diagnosis in a statement just after 5:30 p.m. ET.
ERIN DURKINJASON SILVERSTEIN
A recent Rasmussen Poll said that almost 60 per cent of American voters think that presidential candidates should release their most recent medical records before the country goes to the polls. That is a much higher proportion than even four years ago and may reflect the anxiety that Clinton’s health has been stirring for some time.
Clinton, we know, suffered a concussion after fainting at the end of 2012, an event that was included in medical records that were released by her physician, Dr. Lisa Bardack, at the beginning of the campaign in July 2015. She said the former Secretary of State is “in excellent physical condition and fit to serve as President of the United States”.
Trump has hardly been a model of transparency when it comes to his medical fitness, so far releasing nothing more than a brief letter from his doctor saying he is in fine health all round. If he is going to continue to make an issue of Clinton’s physical fitness, he should be obliged to be more forthcoming too. (We will leave his refusal to release his tax returns for another day.)
But Clinton: if it really was merely the heat and fatigue getting to you on Sunday morning, then make sure you give us all the details you can before the conspiracy theorists get busy and convince the nation that you are in fact suffering from something much worse.
Of course, if the opposite is the case and you are suffering from a thus-far undisclosed condition, then the country is in for another election-race upheaval with consequences that for now we can’t predict. But good for the Democrats that clearly would not be.
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