Rep. Louise Slaughter today again found herself addressing the persistent rumor that she is not in good health – a moment made even more awkward by the fact that it occurred at Strong Memorial Hospital where the 82-year-old Democrat is undergoing rehab for a broken leg she suffered on April 2.

A clearly frustrated Slaughter expressed disbelief that anyone would stoop so low as to suggest she is fighting some kind of life-threatening illness and isn’t healthy enough to serve as full two-year term if she defeats her Republican opponent, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks.

“My health is fine,” she told reporters. “I’m good.”

“As I’ve always said, I wouldn’t be running for office if I was about to die. Nobody thinks that I’m that craven, I should hope. And I never intend to start anything I can’t finish. I’m going to be running. We’re running already.”

“What we’re thinking right now. (Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi called this morning, we talked about it. I will be here for another week and a half, I think. And then I’ll go home. Then there’s a week off in Washington…So I should be at the end of that, first of May somewhere around there, I should be able to get to work.”

“We’re working now. I don’t want you to think we’re just in here eating bon-bons and drinking coffee.”

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