08.04.22

McConnell on the Passing of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, Zachery Potts, and Emma Thomson

‘Yesterday, Congress was shaken by news that a tragic automobile accident had killed Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and three others, including Emma Thomson and Zachery Potts, members of her staff… Today, we trust that this faith has reunited our colleague with her eternal Father. And we pray that He will comfort Dean, all her family and friends, and those who mourn Zach and Emma, in these terrible days.’

WASHINGTON, D.C.U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the passing of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, Emma Thomson, and Zachery Potts:

“Yesterday, Congress was shaken by news that a tragic automobile accident had killed Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and three others, including Emma Thomson and Zachery Potts, members of her staff.

“Our former colleague here in the Capitol was back home among her fellow Hoosiers in Indiana’s second district, in circumstances that are familiar to each of us: long days on the road with trusted aides, meeting with the people we represent.

“By all accounts, Congresswoman Walorski had two stellar young people by her side.

“At 27, Zach was already a seven-year veteran of her team, having served as both campaign manager and district director.

“Emma, her 28-year-old communications director, was already a Capitol Hill veteran whose ‘intelligence’ and ‘drive’ one former boss described as ‘second-to-none’.

“The past day’s outpourings of grief and admiration demonstrate just how great a hole Jackie Walorski leaves behind among her friends here in the Capitol.

“They marveled at both her tremendous personal kindness and her fierce advocacy for the families she represented.

“I had the personal pleasure of breaking bread with Congresswoman Walorski several years ago, and looked forward to every time that our paths would cross.

“According to those who knew Jackie best, her infectious passion and boundless energy for service were rooted in the faith that guided her entire life. That faith also led her and her beloved husband Dean to found a charity and spend years living among and serving needy people in Romania.

“Today, we trust that this faith has reunited our colleague with her eternal Father. And we pray that He will comfort Dean, all her family and friends, and those who mourn Zach and Emma, in these terrible days.”

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Related Issues: Tributes