McConnell Remarks on Former Senator John Warner
‘I was saddened to learn this morning that our friend and former colleague, Senator John Warner, passed away last night… Our thoughts today are especially with our current colleagues from Virginia. So many Senators, past and present, knew John well.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the death of Senator John Warner (R-VA):
“I was saddened to learn this morning that our friend and former colleague, Senator John Warner, passed away last night.
“By the time I arrived in the Senate, John was already churning a long wake as one of this body’s foremost voices on national defense.
“As a wartime veteran of the Navy and Marine Corps, he was deeply devoted to the men and women who serve our nation in uniform.
“As a proud Virginian, John took seriously his Commonwealth’s role as host to massive portions of America’s military might, including the largest naval base in the world.
“And as former Secretary of the Navy, he brought Pentagon clout and technical chops that would help the Senate play a hugely consequential role in defense policy.
“John’s career was capped, of course, by years as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee.
“But John made an even wider impact. My predecessor as Chairman of the Rules Committee was a principled patriot across the board.
“He was also a truly old-school Virginia gentleman. John knew a thing or two about horseracing, for example — and that’s high praise coming from a Kentuckian to a non-Kentuckian.
“Members on both sides of the aisle looked to John as a trusted mentor and friend.
“Our thoughts today are especially with our current colleagues from Virginia. So many Senators, past and present, knew John well.
“Most of all, we’re thinking today of his wife, Jeanne; his children Virginia, John, and Mary; and the entire Warner family. The Senate will keep them all in our prayers in the days ahead.”
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