Longtime Rep. Joe Wilson, RS.C., was taken to a hospital Tuesday night for treatment after collapsing at an event in Washington, according to a congressional aide with knowledge of the situation.
Later Tuesday night, Wilson’s office confirmed the news with X.
“Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) became ill and is being evaluated at a local hospital in Washington, DC,” it said.
Her son, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, later posted on behalf of his hospitalized mother: “Doctors have confirmed to us that she had stroke-like symptoms.”
The younger Wilson said he was able to speak with his father on the phone, adding that the congressman is “stable and being monitored by medical professionals.”
Rep. Wilson, 77, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, was present for two sets of votes in the House on Tuesday afternoon and joked with reporters right on the floor.
I just spoke to my mother who is currently in the hospital with my father. Doctors have confirmed to us that he has had stroke-like symptoms. I was able to speak with him a little while ago and am incredibly grateful that he is stable and under the care of medical professionals
— Alan Wilson (@AGAlanWilson) September 11, 2024
He said Tuesday that he had a busy summer break; Congress just returned this week from a one-month break.
Wilson told reporters he had just returned from whirlwind official trips to the Philippines, Australia and Europe, including a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, then campaigned back home in South Carolina.
NewsNation first reported Wilson’s hospitalization.
Wilson, who has represented a conservative district in central and southwestern South Carolina since 2001, is perhaps best known for shouting “You lie!” President Barack Obama in a joint session of Congress in 2009 after Obama said undocumented immigrants would not receive benefits under the legislation that eventually became the Affordable Care Act.
Wilson was reprimanded by the entire parliament and apologized to Obama.
Recently, he has become known as one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters in its war against Russia, and often wears pins or flags in blue and yellow, Ukraine’s national colors.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
