February 11, 2008

Reid Statement On Death Of Congressman Tom Lantos

Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today in memory of Congressman Tom Lantos, who died today at age 80 after serving 27 years in the House of Representatives:

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Tom Lantos, one of the most honorable and admirable Americans to ever serve his country.  Whether standing up to fascism or standing up for families, Tom Lantos lived his life fighting for what is right.  The Congress and the country will miss his courage.

“I was honored to serve in the House of Representatives and on the Foreign Affairs Committee with Congressman Lantos, whose devotion to the cause of human rights was as inspiring as it was tireless.  Congressman Lantos, the only survivor of the Holocaust ever elected to Congress, was humbled by his own opportunity to serve the people of the 12th district of California – he would often say that it is only in America that someone who fled Nazi Germany could serve three decades as a leader in Congress.  Tom Lantos benefited from the limitless opportunity that America affords, but America benefited far more from Tom Lantos’s service.

“My thoughts are with his wife, Annette, their daughters, Annette and Katrina, his 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.”

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