The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) announced that Freshman Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) joined the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, supporting United States-Armenia relations. Congressman Krishnamoorthi of Illinois’ 8th District currently serves on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
As part of the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program, Hugh Rabjohns, who attends Texas Christian University and grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, interned in Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s office this summer in Washington, D.C.
“It is an honor to have Congressman Krishnamoorthi join the Armenian Caucus. His broad view of the world and respect for history uniquely equips him to play a leading role,” Illinois-based Assembly Board Member Oscar Tatosian said. “His entrepreneurial spirit is the kind of friend Armenia needs,” he added.
Rep. Krishnamoorthi attended the Armenian Genocide Commemoration this past April on Capitol Hill and signed a bipartisan letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reaffirm the Armenian Genocide. The Congressman also issued the following statement commemorating the Genocide: “Today, on the 102nd anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, we recognize the murder of 1.5 million Armenian men women, and children in the years that followed under the direction of the Ottoman Empire. Despite the truth of this history and the magnitude of these crimes, our government remains one of only three in the world not to recognize the genocide committed against the Armenian people. To deny the Armenian Genocide is to deny the humanity of its victims and the demands of our own.”
In June, Rep. Krishnamoorthi wrote an op-ed in The Hill titled “Did Turkey’s payments to Michael Flynn delay our military operations against ISIS?” where he explained: “Press and public attention have been focused largely on the Trump administration’s relationship with Russia, and there is much to be learned. Questions regarding Turkey, however, reveal most clearly how personal considerations may have overridden our national interests.”
Earlier this year, the Assembly highlighted Turkey’s attempts to gain surreptitious influence over U.S. officials and media to the detriment of U.S. national security, and urged the Senate and House Intelligence Committees to investigate the matter.
The Assembly’s letter to the Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC), Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), House Intelligence Chairman David Nunes (R-CA), and Ranking Member Adam Schiff (D-CA) read in part: “We are writing to urge your thorough investigation of President Erdogan’s Turkey in an expanded review of foreign governments and their activities that compromise America’s democratic institutions to allow massive human rights violations and work against the United States in ways that are totally out of legal or diplomatic bounds.”
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.