US attorney general collapses during speech

WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey is "conscious, conversant and alert" at a local Washington hospital after collapsing while delivering a speech at a hotel, the U.S. Justice Department said late on Tuesday.

"His vital statistics are strong and he is in good spirits," department spokesman Peter Carr said in a statement. "The doctors will keep him overnight for further observations."

Mukasey was taken to George Washington University Hospital. (Reporting by James Vicini, editing by Philip Barbara)