Chris Smith: “Madam Speaker, as I think we all know, Chairman Lantos was one of the most gifted, articulate, smart, persuasive, and…”

“Madam Speaker, as I think we all know, Chairman Lantos was one of the most gifted, articulate, smart, persuasive, and compassionate, and, I would add, courageous Members of Congress ever to serve. Over the years, I, like so many other colleagues here in this Chamber, got to know and deeply respect and honor this great man. We traded places as chairman and ranking member of the International Human Rights Subcommittee and worked seamlessly on North Korea, Sudan, human trafficking, child labor, Jewish Refusniks, and China, just to name a few of the very difficult issues that were confronted. In the 1980s, Mr. Lantos played a significant role in dismantling atheistic communism in Eastern Europe, including his native Hungary, as well as in the Soviet Union. A Holocaust survivor, Tom Lantos had a special, well-focused empathy for those who suffered torture, degrading, or inhumane treatment. He was especially vocal and determined when it came to liberating political prisoners, and was a champion on behalf of the Dalai Lama and Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi.”