Posted on 02/15/2010 6:57:23 PM PST by jessduntno
U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg taken to area hospital after fall By James Queally/The Star-Ledger February 15, 2010, 9:51PM
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg was taken by ambulance tonight from his Cliffside Park home after suffering a fall, his spokesman said.
The 86-year-old Democrat was conscious when he was taken to the hospital "as a precautionary measure," said the spokesman, Caley Grey.
Grey said he did not know if Lautenberg had fallen inside the Bergen County condominium or whether he had suffered any injuries.
Lautenberg was elected to his fifth term in the Senate in 2008, defeating U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews with 59 percent of the vote. He was thrust back into the political spotlight in recent months as his name became synonymous with two major political storylines in the state — the security breach at Newark Liberty International Airport and the Sean Goldman custody case.
The Paterson-born Lautenberg was one of the most outspoken critics of the Transportation Security Administration after Haisong Jiang, a Rutgers graduate student, wandered beyond a security checkpoint last month to steal a kiss from his girlfriend, shutting down Terminal C for nearly six hours and accidentally exposing security flaws at one of the nation’s largest airports.
Just a week before the airport incident, Lautenberg claimed he "used the hammer" of senatorial power to help Tinton Falls resident David Goldman regain custody of his son, Sean, ending an international custody dispute between the Monmouth County man and the Brazilian government which had dragged on for years.
Lautenberg returned Friday night from a whirlwind 11-hour trip to Haiti with a congressional delegation that included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
He was scheduled to have a news conference today in Newark to discuss the trip and state efforts providing relief.
Record staff writer Herb Jackson contributed to this report.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Heal up and retire.
Sorry, don’t know why the link and other stuff didn’t appear;
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/us_senator_frank_lautenberg_ta.html
Retire, then heal up.
I don’t think that Lautenberg has been “conscious” in years. If have heard him talk, you’ll know what I mean.
Hope he heals, in retirement.
More Dems taking a licking one way or another! Lauts a geezer in need of a rocking chair. Or is he vying to leave the Senate old folks home in the horizontal position?
Hopefully he’ll immediately leave the senate.
He should have never been allowed to run again in the first place.
btt
Whoops! Gosh, I sure hope that the Democrats don’t lose another Senator.... especially such a great one as Frank Lautenberg!!!!
Interesting the way a whole series of unexpected events have been working to frustrate Obama’s agenda of death.
The ways of providence are inscrutable, but one can always wonder and speculate.
Just curious ... IF he was unable to carry out his Senate duties, through incapacitation, does the new (Republican) Governor get to step in and appoint a replacement?
Hes 86 why do these people stay in office? its drunk with power and perks. Retire and then get well, Frank.
Hopefully he will heal up then retire. Anyone know if NJ allows for the Gov. to appoint a replacement or would it be a special election situation?? Prayers for his Health..and RETIREMENT!!!
I’d say Loutenberg just got a Divine Summons to move on down to Del Boca Vista.
"...and I can't get up...!"
Bringing him to consciousness was a precautionary measure? It must have been a real shock to him after all these years.
The NJ Gubernatorial elections may become even more important.
The NJ Gubernatorial elections may become even more important.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.