WATCH: GOP Rep. James Comer Delivers Emotional Words of Encouragement to Cancer-Stricken Jamie Raskin
BREAKING: There is still room for nonpartisan encouragement and support in the House of Representatives.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer took a pause in Tuesday’s hearing to offer support and encouragement to his Democratic rival, Rep. Jamie Raskin, who is undergoing chemotherapy to treat diffuse large B cell lymphoma, which he announced in December.
The Republican Comer has frequently been on cable news in the past month, consistently hammering President Joe Biden and his alleged “influence peddling,” which Comer is committed to investigating.
Similarly, Raskin, who is a Democrat, played a lead role in the impeachment hearings of former President Donald Trump as well as playing an active role in the January 6 House Select Committee.
In other words, both are committed partisan players, which makes this moment of graceful humanity stand out even more.
After yielding to “the distinguished gentleman from Maryland, ranking Member Jamie Raskin,” Comer said, “But first, I want to publicly say, Mr. Haskins, we’re all rooting for you. We know that you’re going to win this battle if you’re in our thoughts and prayers. And it’s good to see you here today.”
Raskin, who was wearing a bandana to cover hair loss from chemotherapy, was clearly moved by Comer’s kind words and replied, “Mr. Chairman, thank you so much. It means a lot to me, and I’ve been gratified to receive so many kind words of encouragement and sympathy from colleagues on both sides of the aisle. And I hope that these expressions of concern and solidarity will become seeds of friendship over the year. I certainly plan on getting through this thing and beating it. And I thank you for your patience and indulgence.”
“I give all honor to Little Steven for creating this look for American men going through something,” Raskin said to HuffPost on Tuesday.
Watch above via C-SPAN.