Republican congressman has 'medical emergency' near House floor

John Rutherford, a 64-year-old freshman congressman from Florida, was taken out of the Capitol on a stretcher Wednesday.

Rutherford was on the House floor for a vote on an amendment to the Regulatory Accountability Act, but was absent for the next 10 House votes, WOKV reports. The station says he was in the Republican cloakroom off the House floor when he suffered a "medical emergency." Rutherford's chief of staff, Kelly Simpson, said he did not have a heart attack and is "conscious, alert, and in good spirits."

Before being elected to represent the 4th Congressional District last November, Rutherford had a 41-year career in law enforcement, including 12 years as sheriff in Jacksonville.

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