Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) underwent heart surgery following reports of chest pains, his chief of staff confirmed on Wednesday.
The California lawmaker and member of the House Judiciary Committee went to George Washington University Hospital on Monday after experiencing chest pain and was admitted thereafter.
While there were no signs that he experienced a heart attack, he underwent heart surgery on Tuesday after doctors discovered a partial blockage in one of his arteries. The stent surgery was successful. His chief of staff, Marc Cevasco, said Lieu should be returning to work next week.
“An electrocardiogram, ultrasound and two blood tests confirmed there was no heart attack and no heart damage. A CT scan showed partial blockage of an artery that was likely the cause of the symptoms,” Cevasco said in a statement.
“He is in good spirits and plans to be back at work next week,” he continued.
“He is now recovering and will likely be discharged from the hospital later today. Congressman Lieu is deeply grateful to all the dedicated professionals at the OAP and GW University Hospital,” his statement read, adding that the lawmaker plans to “watch a lot of TV as he recovers”:
Lieu, a strong advocate for impeachment, will miss the House Judiciary Committee’s debate on the articles of impeachment scheduled for Wednesday evening.
The hearing follows Tuesday’s announcement, where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), as well as notable committee chairs, announced two articles of impeachment against the president: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) indicated that the Democrats’ efforts were based largely on stopping President Trump in 2020.
“The argument ‘Why don’t you just wait?’ comes down to this: Why don’t you just let him cheat in just one more election?” Schiff stated during Tuesday’s announcement. “Why not let him have foreign help one more time?”:
The Democrat leaders refused to take questions following the momentous announcement.