January 22, 2012
Giffords announces resignation from Congress
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Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords (center), who suffered a head wound in the Tuscon shooting, smiles after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at a memorial service marking the anniversary of the shooting, at the University of Arizona campus Jan. 8. Photo by REUTERS/Laura Segall
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot by a gunman in January, announced that she will resign from Congress.
In a two-minute video released Sunday, Giffords (D-Ariz.) said she will step down as she continues her recovery.
“I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week,” she said. “I’m getting better. Every day my spirit is high. I will return, and we will work together for Arizona and this great country.”
Speaking slowly but clearly, Giffords thanked viewers for their prayers and said that she will always remember the trust her constitutents placed in her.
Giffords, who is Jewish and has been a mamber of a local synagogue, was shot in the head at a Jan. 8, 2011 meet-the-constituents event outside a supermarket in Tucson. The gunman, Jared Loughner, who suffers from mental illness, killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Giffords.
In the video, Giffords said she didn’t “remember much from that horrible day.”
