Giffords Resigns From Congress, Boehner Cries

It was an emotional day today on the House floor. Representative Gabrielle Giffords resigned her seat in the House of Representatives so she could focus on her recovery. Representative Giffords was shot in the head by Jared Lee Loughner at a Tuscon campaign event more than a year ago in an attempted assasination.

Speaker of the House John Boehner started crying when Giffords handed in her resignation letter on the floor of the House today. There were a few people who were crying today making it one of the first times Boehner wasn’t the only one. The Speaker is an emotional guy and tends to break down crying quite often. He struggled to keep from crying during his first address with a GOP House majority, bawled as he accepted the gavel from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and has gotten weepy at many public events since.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Giffords’ closest friend in the House, addressed her colleagues and Giffords.

She said,

“I couldn’t prepare anything this morning because I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold it together very long. We have all been through such a tumultuous year. This is only a pause in her public service she will return…. She will return one day to public service.”

Giffords then went up to the Speaker to hand in her resignation letter. She stumbled as she walked up to the front and then recovered and handed the letter to Boehner. This is when Boehner lost it and started sobbing.

Giffords resignation letter was read on the house floor by Wasserman Shultz. An excerpt of it states,

“Always I fought for what I thought was right. But never did I question the character of those with who, I disagreed. Never did I let pass an opportunity to join hands with someone just because he or she held different ideals,” Giffords states in the letter. I don’t remember much from that terrible day, but I have never forgotten my constituents, my colleagues or the millions of Americans with whom I share great hopes for this nation. I have given all of myself to being able to walk back onto the House floor this year to represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. However, today I know that now is not the time. I have more work to do on my recovery before I can again serve in elected office. Every day I am working hard. I will recover and will return and we will work together again for Arizona and for all Americans.”

The House then proceeded to vote on the last bill Giffords will submit to this Congress. It was abill stiffening penalties for smugglers who use light aircraft to fly over the border. It passed unanimously.

Here is the resignation video of Gabrielle Giffords.