Washington
CNN
—
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont was released from the hospital on Friday, after an “uneventful night” of “testing and observation,” according to a statement from his office.
His office said in a statement late Thursday that the senator was hospitalized “as a precaution” after “not feeling well.”
Leahy, 82, had been at his residence in McLean, Virginia, before going to a Washington-area hospital where, “per the recommendation of his doctors, he is expected to remain overnight for observation,” the statement said. Thursday.
The Vermont Democrat is the third longest-serving senator in US history. As president pro tempore of the Senate, he currently ranks third in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president and speaker of the House.
Leahy’s hospitalization underscores the shaky 50-50 majority of Democrats in the Senate.
Leahy has been hospitalized multiple times in recent years, including in June, when he had surgery to repair a broken hip after a fall at his Virginia home, and in January 2021, when he was briefly hospitalized due to “spasms.” muscular”.
He and his wife plan to return to Vermont on Saturday “for a full schedule of planned events over the next several days,” Leahy’s office said Friday.
Leahy, the longest-serving US senator still in office, announced last year that he would not seek re-election in 2022.
“While I will continue to serve Vermont, Marcelle and I have come to one conclusion: It’s time to put down the gavel,” Leahy said at the time, referring to his wife. “It’s time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter, who will continue this work for our great state. It’s time to go home.
This story has been updated with additional developments on Friday.
