[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 149 (Thursday, September 14, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E847-E848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF BILL RICHARDSON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 14, 2023

  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, last week, the enchanted State of 
New Mexico, the United States and families seeking justice everywhere 
lost a statesman, a former Ambassador, Governor and Congressman.
  Governor Bill Richardson is survived by our former First Lady of 
incredible grace, Mrs. Barbara Richardson.
  In 1983, Governor Richardson began his public service career as the 
first Representative of the newly formed 3rd Congressional district. I 
stand on his shoulders, and am grateful for his sage advice on how to 
best serve this district.
  As Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus he opposed cruel 
immigration policies and brought attention to Latino policy priorities.
  As Governor, he recognized the importance of education and economic 
diversity as he raised teacher salaries and increased film production.
  May we honor Richardson as a tenacious champion for New Mexicans, 
skillful diplomat and a committed public servant.
  I include in the Record Linda Lynch's story on how Richardson rescued 
her husband held hostage.

       17 years ago, this month, I flew to Khartoum with the late 
     Governor Bill Richardson.
       The mission was to free my husband, Paul Salopek, a 
     journalist, from captivity in Sudan, along with his 
     translator, Suleiman Moussa, and driver, Idriss Anu. Paul was 
     reporting a story for National Geographic magazine when they 
     were abducted on the western border of Sudan. On August 6, 
     2006, they disappeared for 10 days. When they surfaced, they 
     had been traded for a box of uniforms and turned over to the 
     Sudanese government. They were flown by helicopter deep into 
     Darfur, separated, imprisoned, and charged by the government 
     with ``espionage, passing information illegally, and 
     reporting false news.''
       I will never forget the day Governor Richardson telephoned 
     me at home in Columbus, New Mexico offering help. At that 
     time, I, together with Paul's editors at National Geographic 
     and the Chicago Tribune, had scrambled to locate Paul and 
     were grappling with how to get them out. Over the course of 
     days, we worked an intricate web of contacts

[[Page E848]]

     and communications, 3:00 a.m. conference calls, check-ins 
     with the State Department and congressional members. We also 
     dispatched a message to the Governor that one of his 
     constituents had been imprisoned in Sudan. Immediately, 
     Governor Richardson picked up the phone and called me.
       In that watershed moment, everything changed. Bill 
     Richardson began his unique methodical and deliberate steps 
     to bring Paul home. Unintimidated by despots or warlords, the 
     Governor saw Paul in a familiar situation that he had 
     adroitly handled before. Watching him in those urgent days 
     that culminated in our flight to Khartoum, it became clear 
     that he had a rare gift of intelligence, diplomacy, and 
     magic. He never took a single success for granted, and it was 
     his respect for the ``stardust''--the alignment of the 
     seemingly impossible--that made it all work.
       It was 34 days before Paul, Suleiman, and Idriss would see 
     their freedom, a shorter time fortunately than many others 
     detained have endured, but every bit as vivid and terrifying 
     and dangerous.
       The day we crossed into north African air space I remember 
     looking out over the vast sand of the Sahara while everyone 
     slept, the anxiety of what would transpire more palpable as 
     we approached Khartoum. As soon as we disembarked the 
     Governor was whisked away to meet with President Umar Al-
     Bashir. Three hours later Governor Richardson emerged with a 
     ``Pardon'' for Paul based on humanitarian grounds.
       But Paul was not in Khartoum. He was 489 miles away. We 
     would have to fly there to rescue him.
       After a tense and uneasy night, the next morning we boarded 
     a smaller aircraft and flew two hours into Darfur, a province 
     ripped apart by arson and genocide. There, we waited all day. 
     The provincial governor of Darfur was unhappy. He had not 
     been consulted before the president pardoned Paul. I watched 
     as Governor Richardson went to work again soothing the 
     irritation, Paul, Suleiman, and Idriss were put through a 15-
     minute mock trial where their charges were read aloud. They 
     were admonished but ultimately released. Governor Richardson 
     had worked his magic again.
       We returned to Khartoum at dusk with our prize of three and 
     left several hours later for New Mexico with Paul. Suleiman 
     and Idriss were reunited with their families in Chad. The 
     whole excursion took only 48 hours.
       For all the admirable things Governor Richardson 
     accomplished in his distinguished lifetime of public service, 
     I believe it was his extraordinary diplomacy that he would 
     most want to be remembered for, that, and the stardust that 
     so often aligned for and with him.

                          ____________________