House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., remains in critical condition on Friday two days after he was shot in the hip during practice for the Congressional Baseball Game, according to a doctor at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Dr. Jack Sava, the director of trauma at the center, said Scalise remains in the intensive care unit, but he is “encouraged” by his progress.
Throughout his stay at MedStar, Scalise has been sedated, but he has been able to recognize and speak to family members when the sedation has been brought down.
While Sava tried to temper optimism about Scalise’s recovery, he said the lawmaker has made great strides since he arrived at MedStar Wednesday morning and has a good possibility of an “excellent recovery”
“I feel a lot more confident and a lot more optimistic than I did two or three days ago,” Sava said, adding that Scalise was at an “imminent risk of death” when he arrived on Wednesday morning. However, Sava said that ultimately the third-highest ranking Republican in the House should be able to walk, run and return to work eventually, but only after a period of recovery and rehabilitation.
Scalise will remain in the hospital for the foreseeable future and will require additional operations and surgeries.
Sava also said that Crystal Griner, the Capitol Police officer who was shot and is being treated at MedStar, is in “good condition and good spirits” in the wake of the shooting.
