Celeste Maloy: “it is hard not to smile when I stand here and talk about Doug LaMalfa, even on this really difficult week because Doug…”

“it is hard not to smile when I stand here and talk about Doug LaMalfa, even on this really difficult week because Doug always made me smile. From the beginning, he made me feel like I was really special, and I have learned this week that that is maybe the least special thing about me because everybody here felt like they were Doug LaMalfa's best friend. The night I was sworn in as a Member of Congress, I started getting texts on my phone from a number I didn't recognize. They were pictures of me being sworn in from an angle that looked suspiciously like the House floor, which is against the rules. I promised him I would never tell anyone where I got those pictures, so I am not going to tell you, but I still don't know how he had my number the minute I got sworn in. He has never missed a chance to get me to sing Utah's State song with him whether we are in an airport or on the House floor or walking through the tunnels. He never failed to accompany that with jokes from 'My Cousin Vinny' about the 'youts.' I hope that hearing all of these memories and all of these stories that people have of Doug will comfort his family, his staff, and everybody else who is missing him at this difficult time because, even though I am smiling, I am deeply mourning for my friend, Doug LaMalfa.”