Clinton says she's feeling fine after getting 'overheated' at 9/11 event

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waves after leaving an apartment building Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in New York. Clinton's campaign said the Democratic presidential nominee left the 9/11 anniversary ceremony in New York early after feeling "overheated."
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waves after leaving an apartment building Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in New York. Clinton's campaign said the Democratic presidential nominee left the 9/11 anniversary ceremony in New York early after feeling "overheated."

NEW YORK-Hillary Clinton abruptly left a 9/11 anniversary ceremony Sunday after feeling "overheated," according to her campaign. A video showed the Democratic presidential nominee slumping and being held up by three people as she was helped into a van.























Clinton not letting up on fundraising despite advantage

WASHINGTON-Hillary Clinton could spend $2.2 million every day until the Nov. 8 election without running out. And every month she widens her cash advantage over Donald Trump. As of Sept. 1, it was a $55 million gulf. Yet the Democratic nominee is not letting up on gas when it comes to fundraising. Clinton is scheduled to return to California on Monday for still more finance events after a lucrative August swing through dot-com mansions in Silicon Valley and celebrity-packed dinners in Los Angeles. It wasn't clear if she'd keep to that schedule after falling ill Sunday while attending the 9/11 memorial event in New York. Her allies say the continued fundraising helps other Democrats because the party can keep building up voter turnout operations. It also serves as protection in a rollicking race against a man who claims to be worth $10 billion and once said he was willing to spend up to $1 billion to get elected. So far, he's put about $60 million of his own money in his campaign. Even when Clinton is busy campaigning, wallets are still flying open for her. As she wrapped up a speech in Kansas City on Thursday night, running mate Tim Kaine was in New York entertaining five donors who'd given $500,000. A day later, Clinton was in the city telling donors, "I'm all that stands between you and the apocalypse" at a private concert headlined by Barbra Streisand. The singer's rendition of "Send in the Clowns" tore into Trump. "Is he that rich? Maybe he's poor? 'Til he reveals his returns, who can be sure?" Streisand sang. "Who needs this clown?" Clinton scooped up more than $4 million there, and that wasn't her only fundraiser of the day. Hours earlier, she held a far more exclusive one at the home of private equity firm executive Hamilton "Tony" James. The 30 people at his home together chipped in at least $1.5 million. Much of the money Clinton is raising goes into efforts to find and persuade voters to back her candidacy, and get the ones who do to show up at the polls or cast their ballots early where they can. It's a costly endeavor. Her campaign has a staff of about 700, with a monthly payroll of almost $5 million. She is spending roughly $10 million each week on television ads, according to Kantar Media's political ad tracker. She also just began leasing a Boeing 737, dubbed "Hill Force One," to travel to the most competitive states. "If you think of an election as a conversation with voters, you have to keep having it all the way through, and that takes significant resources," said Amy Dacey, a Democratic consultant and former chief executive officer of the Democratic National Committee. "It's smart to continue to raise until the end." Four years ago, President Barack Obama raised more than $1 billion for his re-election, a number that Clinton's national finance chairman Dennis Cheng has cited as a goal. She's getting close. By the end of August, Clinton had raised about $600 million for her campaign and allied Democratic groups, an Associated Press review of campaign finance records found. In a conference call last week with top fundraisers, Clinton's top aides urged them to go out and raise at least $100 million more by Election Day. That's in addition to the campaign's efforts to harvest small donations online and via direct-mail. Having that money on hand will allow Clinton to quickly use resources in late-emerging contested states. "There isn't much time left, but on the other hand, a lot can change very quickly," Dacey said. "You have to have the ability to respond." Those who start giving at this late stage of the race do so for different reasons. Some may sense Clinton is destined for the White House and want to back a winner. They did for Obama in the closing days of his first presidential campaign. The soon-to-be-president's campaign alone raised $153 million in September 2008, more than in the previous two months combined. Employees in Obama's Florida campaign headquarters remember mail with donor checks piling up in the office during the closing weeks of the campaign. Other donors may worry that Trump-who commands seemingly limitless media attention-could overtake Clinton unless she has the cash to fight him off. Clinton's latest fundraising solicitations highlight that fear factor. In one email last week, campaign manager Robby Mook wrote that Trump is "closing the gap in the national polls and even pulling ahead in some key states." He continued, "There are 62 days left in this election, and if we get outworked or outspent, we're going to lose." The email closes with a bright-red donate button.
Less than two months from Election Day, it was an unwanted visual for Clinton as she tries to project the strength and vigor needed for one of the world's most demanding jobs. Republican rival Donald Trump has spent months questioning Clinton's health, saying she doesn't have the stamina to be president.

Clinton's departure from the event was not witnessed by the reporters who travel with her campaign and aides provided no information about why she left or her whereabouts for nearly two hours. Spokesman Nick Merrill eventually said Clinton had gone to her daughter's nearby apartment, but refused to say whether the former secretary of state had required medical attention.

Clinton exited the apartment on her own shortly before noon. She waved to reporters and said, "I'm feeling great. It's a beautiful day in New York."

The video of Clinton posted to social media shows her being held up by aides as a black van pulls up. She stumbles and appears to fall off the curb as she is helped to the vehicle.

After leaving her daughter's, Clinton was driven to her home in Chappaqua, New York, and made no public appearances. She was scheduled to fly to California Monday morning for fundraising and it was unclear whether her schedule would change.

Trump, who attended the same event marking the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, was noticeably restrained. Asked by a reporter about Clinton's health incident, Trump said, "I don't know anything."

The incident compounds an already difficult stretch for Clinton as the presidential race enters its final stretch. Despite Trump's numerous missteps, the race remains close and many Americans view Clinton as dishonest and untrustworthy.

On Friday, Clinton told donors that "half" of rival Donald Trump's supporters are in a "basket of deplorables"-a comment that drew sharp criticism from Republicans. Clinton later said she regretted applying that description to "half" of Trump's backers, but stuck by her assertion that the GOP nominee has given a platform to "hateful views and voices."

Now Clinton is sure to face new questions about whether she's physically fit for the presidency. Trump and his supporters have been hinting at potential health issues for months, questioning Clinton's stamina when she takes routine days off the campaign trail and reviving questions about a concussion she sustained in December 2012 after fainting. Her doctor attributed that episode to a stomach virus and dehydration.

Clinton's doctor reported she is fully recovered from the concussion, which led to temporary double vision and discovery of a blood clot in a vein in the space between her brain and skull. Clinton also has experienced deep vein thrombosis, a clot usually in the leg, and takes the blood thinner Coumadin to prevent new clots.

Clinton spent about 90 minutes at the 9/11 event Sunday, standing alongside numerous other dignitaries, including New York's Democratic senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirstin Gillibrand. The weather was warm and humid in New York on Sunday, and there was a breeze at the crowded memorial plaza during the ceremony.

Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., said he spent time before the ceremony chatting with Clinton and watching her sign autographs and take pictures. He said he was standing behind her during the remembrance and "she did not seem out of the ordinary at all."

"It was stiflingly hot. I was sweating through my shirt," Crowley said. "I had to leave myself. I drank about a gallon of water."

Schumer said he also spoke with Clinton during the event and saw her leave "on her own accord."?

Trump's personal physician has said the Republican presidential nominee is in excellent health both physically and mentally. But the 70-year-old has refused to release his own health records.

Dr. Harold Bornstein's report last December remains the only medical information released so far by the Trump campaign. Bornstein told NBC News he needed just five minutes to write a glowing public assessment of Trump's health as a limousine waited to carry the letter back to Trump.

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