Political Quotes

“I rise this evening to reinforce the comments of my colleague, the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson), and to call on the Russian government and President Putin to free Mr. Ed Pope. We have heard he is an American businessman that they have held without trial for months, and I rise to assure Mr. And Mrs. Pope's family that the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson) and I are doing everything we can to secure his release. The Russian government's continued incarceration of Mr. Pope, an American citizen, is nothing short of outrageous. Not only was his arrest and subsequent imprisonment contrary to international law, but the treatment he has received while in custody has been appalling. Until recently, I am told, he has been denied communications with his wife. We heard they went for 70-plus days without being able to exchange letters or any communication. He has been denied access to sufficient food and medical treatment by American standards and certainly every other basic right we associate with justice systems of civilized nations. Indeed, Mr. Pope's imprisonment is reminiscent of those ugly dark days of the old Soviet regime when men and women were taken from their homes in the dark of night, interrogated, and sometimes never seen again. And that is wrong.”