As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has traveled almost a million miles, President Obama noted today at a State Department reception for the diplomatic corps. But following a stomach virus which left her dehydrated, causing her to faint and sustain a concussion, Clinton will be grounded for a while. Clinton’s office released a statement Wednesday: “Given her condition, the Secretary’s doctors have advised that she may not fly for any significant duration in the coming weeks. So as things stand we are not planning any travel through mid-January.”
Clinton will not be testifying about the Benghazi report on Thursday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee as previously scheduled. However, she may appear before House and Senate committees in mid-January; no dates have been set. Her office has maintained that she will work with the committees in the future. It’s not clear whether she will formally testify about the deadly attack on the Benghazi mission last September 11.
At the State Department’s holiday reception, Obama noted Clinton’s absence. “Had Secretary Clinton been able to join us, I was going to congratulate her on her record-breaking travels, visiting 112 nations–just about every one of those countries are represented here this evening,” he said. He joked that despite her frequent flying, she “doesn’t get discounts.” “We can’t wait to have her back and I know all of you join me in sending your wishes for a speedy recovery,” he said.
Andrea Mitchell
Andrea Mitchell is chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News.
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