Meanwhile, there are some who doubt the veracity of all of these reports. You can guess which folks I mean. Here is a snip from today's press briefing wherein Victoria Nuland refutes the remarks of sour-grapes John Bolton who, not on ABC News, accused our girl of faking.Transcript for Hillary Clinton's Concussion: Doctor Orders Rest
We're going to turn to the health scare for hillary clinton. She suffered a concussion after fainting in her home. On the mend now, she may be out of action for most of her remaining time as secretary of state.
Reena ninan has the details. Reporter: Hillary clinton has earned a new title under the obama administration. Most traveled secretary of state.
But it's one she's now paying for. Clinton is recovering after affects from a mild concussion. This is the second time in eight years clinton has fainted because of a stomach bug.
But in an interview with abc's barbara walters, before the concussion, clinton said that her age and health do not concern her. I'm not only healthy but have incredible stamina and energy. Reporter: According to the state department, the 65-year-old clinton became ill over last week, while suffering from a stomach virus.
She became extremely dehydrated and fainted at home. That's when she sustained the concussion. Now, instead of returning to a diplomatic trip from morocco and the persian gulf, secretary clinton is under doctor's orders to rest at home.
QUESTION: Sorry. Just kind of hesitate to ask this, but do you care to have – offer any response to your former colleague John Bolton, who suggested that the Secretary is suffering from, quote/unquote, “diplomatic illness,” suggesting that she is not, in fact, under the weather --
QUESTION: And the New York Post.
QUESTION: -- or ill, and that she is faking an illness to – in order not to show up. I don’t – not looking for you to say what you have said in the past, which is that the Secretary is – wants to be open and has said that she will go up in January. What I’m interested in is a reaction specifically to your former colleague, Mr. Bolton’s comment.
MS. NULAND: Completely untrue. We’ve been very clear from the beginning that she had a stomach virus, an ugly stomach virus. She got very dehydrated, she fainted, it was later discovered she had sustained a concussion. On doctor’s orders, she is working at home this week. That’s all we’ve got going on.
QUESTION: This is a guy you used to work with. Can you offer any explanation as to why this man, a former colleague of yours, worked in this building, would say such a thing?
MS. NULAND: I can’t speak to his personal motivation. I can assure you he’s not privy to any inside information.
QUESTION: Well, there are – I mean, there are several of these type of reports that are making these outrageous charges, so --
MS. NULAND: It’s really unfortunate that in times like this, people make wild speculation based on no information. As I said yesterday, and I’ll say it again today, she’s on the mend, she’s going to be absolutely fine. She is working at home. As you know, she got the ARB report yesterday. She read through it yesterday. She’s been working on the letter that will go with it to the Hill. She’s been on the phone and in email contact with senior staff. She’s been working on other issues, Syria, the DPRK today. So these are people who don’t know what they’re talking about.
QUESTION: Well, how does that – I mean, is she working – is she doing too much work against the advice of her doctors? Because when the doctors put out the statement on, I believe it was Saturday, they said that they urged her not to have any kind of strenuous work. I don’t think they meant physical; I think they meant the – when you have a brain injury of that type of nature, that some sustained rest would be required.
MS. NULAND: Well, her doctors and all the people close to her are trying to encourage her to take the time that she needs to get completely well.
QUESTION: Sorry, what else did you say she was – D.P.R.K., so North Korea – what else?
MS. NULAND: D.P.R.K., working on her letter that covers this report, et cetera, and other issues of interest.
QUESTION: Can you be more specific about what she did on Korea? Was it a phone call? Was it --
MS. NULAND: Well, she’s obviously keeping track of the conversations that we’re having in New York and elsewhere about a response, but I’m not going to get into details; the normal work that she does.
QUESTION: How did the Secretary receive the report? Did she get it in person? Was there a briefing attached to that? And can you describe for us, in general terms, what her reaction was? Satisfied, thought it took too long, didn’t take enough time, whatever? I mean, any sort of general characterization of it?
MS. NULAND: The physical report was couriered to her at the house along with the regular classified pouch that goes to her as appropriate. I’m not going to get into her reaction. I think you’ll get a sense of her reaction and the Department’s reaction when you see the letter that she’s covered the report with and when you hear the testimony of Deputy Secretary Burns and Deputy Secretary Nides. Just to remind that they are standing in for her, so the --
QUESTION: Sure.
MS. NULAND: -- testimony that they give on Thursday will very much reflect her view and how we should go forward from this report and how we should learn its lessons.
QUESTION: Would you consider releasing that letter at the same time it goes up instead of later on? That would help greatly frame that very question today.
MS. NULAND: Well, I’ll certainly convey to folks your interest in that. The current plan is to release it when we release the unclassified so it’s a package, so it’s not sitting out there in isolation from the report itself and --
QUESTION: Would the letter be – would the letter itself contain classified information or would it be --
MS. NULAND: The letter’s unclassified.
QUESTION: Okay.
MS. NULAND: Okay.
QUESTION: Toria --
QUESTION: Where is her current (inaudible)? In New York or in Washington? Where is she actually?
QUESTION: Which couriers (inaudible)? (Laughter.)
MS. NULAND: And how many pillows are there and all that kind of stuff? I haven’t --
QUESTION: When did she receive this? Can you say when she received the report, though?
MS. NULAND: Yesterday morning. Yesterday morning. I think I said that yesterday.
Said.
QUESTION: My question to you is that although it is Mr. John Bolton that made this accusation, and he’s been known to make such accusations in the past, they do gain a certain traction and a lot of noise on a certain network. Are you concerned that they may create a lot more noise than you like?
MS. NULAND: That’s why we’re trying to be absolutely clear what’s going on, why we put out such a full statement on Saturday of exactly what was going on, because people speculate wildly. We understand the culture and we just want to be clear.
QUESTION: Was there reporting that she – the Secretary had to be put onto an IV; correct?
MS. NULAND: I am not going to get into the details beyond saying that she’s on the mend. It’s a very good try.
Can we move on to some foreign policy? Is that possible? Said.
QUESTION: Hold on, wait a second.
MS. NULAND: Yeah.
QUESTION: This is foreign policy.
MS. NULAND: Whether she’s had an IV or not is foreign policy?
QUESTION: No, no, the entire Libya investigation is foreign policy.
MS. NULAND: Yeah. Anything else here?
QUESTION: Can we --
MS. NULAND: Said.
QUESTION: -- go to Syria?
MS. NULAND: Yeah.
Jim Watson / Pool via Reuters, file