Missouri GOP donor Stan Herzog in ICU after choking at D.C. steakhouse

Prominent St. Joseph businessman and GOP donor Stan Herzog was in an intensive care unit Saturday at a Washington, D.C., hospital after a choking incident at a steakhouse Thursday night, but is expected to recover.

Among those dining with him were Missouri Congressman Sam Graves; his brother, GOP state chairman Todd Graves; and former Missouri state Sen. Brad Lager, who now serves as executive vice president of Herzog Enterprises in St. Joseph.

Both Graves brothers performed CPR, witnesses said.

Lager said Herzog, 68, is expected to recover.

“All indications they (doctors) are currently giving us is that he’s going to be OK,” Lager told The Star Saturday afternoon. “We see nothing today that makes us believe otherwise.”

The Washington, D.C., Fire and EMS Department said it responded about 10 p.m. eastern time to a Ruth’s Chris Steak House, where they treated and transported a patient to a nearby hospital in serious/critical condition.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway had briefly joined the group at the table, but left before the incident occurred, according to witnesses.

Members of Herzog’s family who were with him at George Washington University Hospital in downtown Washington declined comment Saturday morning. Sam Graves and Todd Graves could not be reached for comment.

Stan Herzog is a major Republican campaign contributor who gave Gov. Eric Greitens’ campaign $650,000 in 2016. Herzog’s company owns a building that houses Greitens’ political nonprofit in Jefferson City.

Herzog oversees a series of nine companies, including the largest, Herzog Contracting Corp., a St. Joseph asphalt paving contractor founded in 1969. He started as a foreman on asphalt paving projects and was later promoted to project superintendent, working on heavy highway and railroad construction projects throughout the country.

The Kansas City Star

This story was originally published February 24, 2018 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Missouri GOP donor Stan Herzog in ICU after choking at D.C. steakhouse."