Rep. Jerry Nadler Has Health Scare At Press Conference

NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, a prominent federal lawmaker who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, had a health scare at a Friday press conference in Manhattan. Nadler, a Democrat, was briefly unresponsive as he sat next to Mayor Bill de Blasio at the event on the Upper West Side.

Nadler recovered quickly and was sent to a hospital to be evaluated, officials said.

"Seems to have been dehydrated and it was very warm in the room," Daniel Schwarz, a spokesman for Nadler, said in an email. "He was sitting down so did not faint or anything, just was a bit ill."

De Blasio tapped Nadler on the shoulder and offered him a drink, saying that he seemed dehydrated. The congressman appeared to remain conscious as doctors approached him to help, a live video stream showed.

The room at P.S. 199 was cleared for privacy reasons as Nadler received aid, according to reporters who were on the scene. One photo posted to Twitter shows Nadler with a smile on his face after the scare.

Nadler was able to answer doctors' questions when they immediately came to his side to help, Dr. Ted Long, one of those who aided the congressman, told reporters. De Blasio said Nadler quickly regained his energy and started making jokes.

"After just a few minutes you could see him just fully come back to his energetic self," the mayor told reporters.

It won't be certain what caused the scare until after the hospital evaluates Nadler, Long said. "We got him there as fast as humanly possible," he added.

Nadler represents New York's 10th Congressional District, which includes much of Manhattan's West Side and parts of southern Brooklyn. The committee he leads is investigating President Donald Trump and his administration for alleged obstruction of justice and abuses of power.