Commerce Secretary John Bryson undergoing tests to determine cause of seizure Commerce Secretary John Bryson continues to undergo medical tests and evaluations to determine what caused him to have a seizure Saturday and crash his Lexus three times while home in California, department officials said Tuesday. The White House and Commerce Department again would not say when Bryson's seizure occurred, the exact medical issues afflicting the secretary and when, if ever, he might return to his official duties. Aides to Bryson also would not immediately say whether he was in Washington or had flown home to California. Commerce Secretary John Bryson is taking a medical leave after suffering a seizure in connection with two traffic accidents. Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank will take over his duties. No amount of tweaking will get it right. A look at the election before the results come in and before we've got a chance to analyze (and over-analyze) them. Diana Reese The Commerce Department announced late Monday that Bryson would take a medical leave of absence and transfer his official duties to Commerce Deputy Secretary Rebecca M. Blank, who will lead the sprawling department in an acting capacity for the second time in less than a year. By Tuesday morning, her official biography on the Commerce Department Web site mentioned her new role as the acting secretary. Blank previously led the department last year in an acting capacity after Commerce Secretary Gary Locke left to serve as U.S. ambassador to China, and before Bryson's confirmation last October. She joined the Obama administration in June 2009 as undersecretary for economic affairs and head of the Economics and Statistics Administration, which oversees the U.S. Census Bureau. Previously, Blank served as a member of Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers during the later years of his presidency. Blank spoke Tuesday in place of Bryson at a meeting of the U.S. India Business Council, and according to her prepared remarks, said that Bryson "regrets that he could not be here today and sends his greetings. As you may have heard, he is taking a medical leave of absence to focus on his health. Bryson conveyed his decision to step aside temporarily on Monday evening in a conversation with White House Chief of Staff Jacob J. Lew, according to Commerce Department spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman. In a memo he sent to Commerce Department employees Monday night, Bryson wrote that "Blank has strengthened our Department in this role before. I have every confidence in her. "I know that all of you will work to make this a seamless transition, and I thank you in advance for your continued work to help America's businesses drive economic growth and job creation at this crucial moment in our nation's recovery," Bryson wrote to employees. Finally, I want to thank all of you personally for your warm thoughts and support. Bryson, 68, is the newest permanent member of Obama's 21-person Cabinet and his decision to take at least a temporary leave of absence ended a tumultuous day for the White House. Officials conceded that they had not learned of Bryson's accidents until a full day after they occurred. They acknowledged that, even two days afterward, they did not fully understand what had happened. President Obama telephoned Bryson Tuesday morning and told the secretary to "focus his thoughts on his own health and his own family," according to White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest.