“As Giffords recovers, friends keep office open”
March 23, 2011
Since she was shot in the head in
Last week, Rep.
On Wednesday, Smith concluded a two-day visit to southern
“”We want to make sure that if she comes back to work, it’s all there ready and she can pick up and run with it,”” Smith said in a telephone interview from
Giffords and 12 others were wounded, and six people were killed, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl, when 22-year-old
It is uncertain when or if she’ll return to work on
“”Who knows, when she gets better, exactly what she’s going to want to do?”” asked Smith. “”You just don’t know. Those of us who know her have a very, very strong suspicion that she’s going to want to keep doing what she’s doing, but you don’t know.””
Smith said the three members of
“”We’re all very, very happy to do it,”” Smith said. “”Mark has been incredible throughout this entire process, in terms of keeping everything going and taking care of Gabby, and making sure all of her interests are looked after.””
Smith said he talks with Kelly at least twice a week. He’s in close contact with Giffords’ staff and even asks questions for her at hearings of the
“”That’s her seat on the committee, and it’s going to stay there until she comes back and occupies it again,”” said Smith, an eight-term congressman. He credited Giffords with helping him get elected as ranking member in December, saying “”she was relentless and tireless in talking me up.””
“”Having been through a personal health care crisis myself, I got through it with my close family and girlfriends. So I’m just trying to be a good girlfriend,”” she said.
Her staff has also helped out. Her chief spokesman,
The Giffords camp clearly appreciates the help.
“”Congresswoman Giffords has a lot of close friends on
It has been an emotional ordeal for Smith, who’s visited Giffords three times — once in
“”It’s always incredibly encouraging,”” he said. “”I mean, it was just horrific, getting the news report, hearing about what happened to her. And of course they reported that she had died. I was sitting in my living room in
Smith has traveled extensively with Giffords, a 40-year-old three-term member, on business related to their work on the Armed Services Committee. In 2009, they took a four-day trip to
Both are members of the moderate
Smith said that Giffords’ ability to walk and talk has improved considerably, and that she’s making progress.
“”It gets better every day,”” he said. “”It is a shocking injury that she’s sustained. And the fact that she’s come back as quickly as she has just bodes extraordinarily well for the future. … That’s what gives everybody so much encouragement.””