Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking Chairman Royce for his efforts on this resolution and my friend Ranking Member Engel, as well, for his efforts, along with the 201 Members of this body who have cosponsored this, most particularly Mr. Deutch, Mr. Huffman, and Mr. Labrador, who have worked with me and my staff in preparing this resolution. I want to speak briefly about Amir Hekmati, my constituent, a young man who is an American citizen, born in the United States, raised in my hometown of Flint, Michigan, served in the United States Marine Corps. He is a brother; he is a son; he is a Michigander. Back in 2011, for the first time, he traveled to Iran to visit his grandmother, as has been said. He notified the Iranian Government that he was going to Iran. He traveled under his own name. He disclosed his history as a member of the United States Marine Corps. He was in Iran for almost 3 weeks when he was apprehended. Initially tried and convicted and sentenced to death for espionage, that sentence was later set aside, but he continues to languish in Evin Prison, serving a 10-year sentence. I want the world to know about Amir. I want people to know his name, just as we want the world to know the names of Jason Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, and Bob Levinson. These are real people. Amir is a real person. He grew up in my hometown of Flint, like me, played high school hockey. It is important that we remember these names. These are individuals.…”