McConnell chokes on saying goodbye to his ‘friend’ Lamar Alexander in ground speech

Majority Leader in the Senate Mitch mcconnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnell Pressure Builds For Coronavirus Relief With No Clear Way To Address Top GOP Senator Warns Government Funding Deal Unlikely This Week Criminal Justice Groups Offer Support To Durbin Amid the fight for the place of the judiciary MORE (R-Ky.) Choked on a tribute to the outgoing senator. Lamar AlexanderAndrew (Lamar) Lamar AlexanderMurkowski: Trump should admit White House race Mark Kelly will be sworn in as senator on Wednesday Congress gears up for chaotic year-end sprint READ MORE (R-Tenn.) From the Senate Wednesday, hailing him as an “18-year-old friend.”

“He is by far one of the brightest, most thoughtful, and effective lawmakers we’ve ever seen,” McConnell said of Alexander in his remarks bidding farewell to the Tennessee Republican.

McConnell admitted that he relied on the senator, who had long been an allies of his in the Upper House, for his “wisdom for many years.”

The GOP leader, choking on several occasions, added that he believed he was “just as reliant on his optimism, his dynamic spirit, his ability to look on the bright side and see how harder work could. make it brighter. ”

McConnell, stopping to pull himself together, went on to say that he “is going to miss” the “regular dinners” he shared with his colleague.

Watch Majority Ldr. McConnell choked on his speech on Senator Lamar Alexander: pic.twitter.com/PEVPkTsVu2

– The recount (@therecount) December 2, 2020

While McConnell said he “dreads life in the Senate without [his] brilliant friend, ”he added that he“ can’t blame him ”, saying that“ the most distinguished official more than deserved the right to spend more days fly fishing or walking on the trails of the Smokies.

“I’m sorry that in a few weeks … it will be just the rest of us who are left, but you are leaving this body and those of us who make it up and the nation that it exists to serve stronger and better. “, he added.

McConnell was one of many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who attended Alexander’s farewell speech, which took place after McConnell’s remarks on Wednesday.

In his own speech from the hall, Alexander urged senators to work across party lines.

“Our country needs a US Senate to work across party lines to force broad agreements on difficult issues, creating laws that most of us have voted for and that a diverse country will agree to,” did he declare.

“When the presidency and at least one body of Congress belonged to different political parties, it offers an opportunity to share the responsibility or blame for doing difficult things,” he said, while calling on senators to work. for bipartisanship and to “stop blocking everyone’s amendments.