Chairman Lantos Loved America (Rep. Don Manzullo)

I first met Chairman Lantos in 1993, when we both served on the House International Relations Committee. I was honored to join the Human Rights Caucus that he created.

Chairman Lantos was a courageous leader, a Holocaust survivor who triumphed over evil to become a strong voice and living symbol of religious tolerance in America. In the mid 1990s, we traveled together to Europe as part of an interparliamentary exchange in which I witnessed firsthand the strength and conviction of his love for the United States when he challenged a group of Europeans who had questioned the American effort in World War II.

Personally, Chairman Lantos was a good friend and colleague. Freda and I send our thoughts and prayers to Tom’s wife, Annette, his daughters, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren on the passing of this great man and champion of human rights in the world.