Attorney General Holder released after short hospital stay

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder was hospitalized for several hours Thursday after experiencing faintness and shortness of breath at work, the Justice Department said.

Holder was taken to a Washington hospital as a precaution after feeling the symptoms during a regular morning meeting with senior staff. A department statement described him as alert and communicating with his doctors during his hospital stay.

He was discharged later in the day and sent home to rest, his office said.

Holder, a trim 63-year-old, is known inside the department for bypassing the elevator and taking the stairs at a brisk pace to reach his 5th-floor office. He also plays basketball.

The White House says President Barack Obama was notified and wished Holder a “speedy recovery.”