Steve Cohen: “I appreciate the time. I say to the gentleman from North Carolina that I remember that the last time I saw John Lewis…”

“I appreciate the time. I say to the gentleman from North Carolina that I remember that the last time I saw John Lewis was March 5, his birthday; and the gentleman offered the prayer. That meant a lot to me, and it showed me the respect that you had for him and that he had for you. It was a beautiful moment. There was not a more perfect person that has probably served in the Congress and, certainly that I have known in my life, than John R. Lewis. He had every quality that you would desire in a human being and couldn't even imagine a person to have them altogether. He was a hero of the civil rights movement and cared greatly about the injustices that he had seen as an African American, and that is what launched him on his civil rights struggles. But once he got moving, it was people of different issues of discrimination that he championed; whether it was gay and lesbian; whether it was Native Americans; whether it was women, or just simple people being victims of gun violence, John Lewis took up the cause and he stood up for everybody. He did not know color. He did not know gender. He did not know any differences in people. He loved all people. It was such an honor to serve with him. Early in my career, the American Bar Association presented the Day Award to John Lewis, Richard Lugar and myself. The award was nothing compared to the fact that I was with John Lewis that day. It made me feel much greater than I ever could become.…”