Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, was hospitalized Tuesday afternoon after reportedly feeling ill following the start of the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
Leahy, the longest-serving member of the Democratic caucus, is set to oversee the impeachment trial. Generally, the chief justice of the Supreme Court oversees the impeachment trial of presidents, but since Trump is no longer in office, Leahy has been tasked with the position.
A spokesperson confirmed to Scripps’ DC bureau that Leahy was in his Capitol office and not feeling well.
“He was examined in the Capitol by the Attending Physician. Out of an abundance of caution, the [attending physician] recommended that he be taken to a local hospital for observation,” Leahy’s spokesperson said.
On Monday, Leahy reacted to leading the Trump impeachment trial.
“The president pro tempore has historically presided over Senate impeachment trials of non-presidents,” Leahy said. “When presiding over an impeachment trial, the president pro tempore takes an additional special oath to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws. It is an oath that I take extraordinarily seriously.”
Leahy, 80, was first elected to the US Senate in 1975. He was previously the president pro tempore of the Senate from 2012 to 2015, but lost the title as Republicans held the majority in the chamber through last week.