Attorney General John Ashcroft will have his gall bladder removed today to prevent a recurrence of gallstone pancreatitis, the Associated Press reports. The annual House appropriations hearing on the Justice Department budget, scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed, says the Washington Post.
The procedure will be started laproscopically, but surgeons will switch to the more conventional surgery if necessary. Ashcroft is expected to remain in George Washington University Hospital for several days after the surgery.
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41822-2004Mar8.html