US V-P Kamala Harris, lawmakers pay tribute to former president Jimmy Carter at Capitol
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The US Army's Caisson Detachment carrying the casket of Jimmy Carter to lie in state at the US Capitol building in Washington, DC, on Jan 7.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - US leaders on Jan 7 paid tribute to former President Jimmy Carter – who had the longest and most admired post-presidency in history – as he laid in state at the US Capitol on Tuesday ahead of his funeral on Jan 9.
Members of Congress and several Supreme Court justices gathered around Mr Carter’s flag-draped coffin under the Capitol dome.
Several praised Mr Carter’s actions as the 39th president and the humanitarian work he pursued for decades after leaving office in 1981.
“Jimmy Carter was an all too rare example of a gifted man who also walked with humility, modesty and grace,” said Vice-President Kamala Harris, who belongs to the Democratic Party as Mr Carter did.
Republicans John Thune, Senate leader, and Mr Mike Johnson, House of Representatives speaker, also spoke as Mr Carter family members and other lawmakers observed.
Among them were Democratic senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, where Mr Carter served as governor.
The carefully choreographed ceremony came at a time of transition in Washington as Republican President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office from Democratic President Joe Biden on Jan 20.
Security is higher than usual, with fencing surrounding the Capitol.
Mr Carter’s flag-draped casket arrived at the Capitol on a horse-drawn caisson after a funeral procession down Pennsylvania Avenue.
Family members followed on foot, in a nod to Mr Carter’s walk down the boulevard during his 1977 inauguration.
Cadets from the US Naval Academy saluted the former Navy submarine officer.
Mr Carter’s remains will lie in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol for the next three days for members of Congress and the public to pay their respects.
His body will travel by motorcade on Jan 9 for a funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral.
Mr Carter, a Democrat who served one White House term from 1977 to 1981, died on Dec 29 at the age of 100.
The former Georgia peanut farmer struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis while in office and was handily defeated for re-election by Republican Ronald Reagan.
In the decades since, he earned a reputation as a committed humanitarian and is widely seen as a better former president than he was a president. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Mr Carter lived longer than any other US president and had been in hospice care for nearly two years before his death.
His last public appearance was at wife Rosalynn’s funeral in November 2023, where he used a wheelchair and appeared frail.
In August, his grandson Jason Carter said Mr Carter was looking forward to casting a ballot for Ms Harris, who lost to Trump.
Mr Biden has ordered flags at government buildings to be flown at half-staff for 30 days as a sign of mourning. That has irked Trump, who has said they should not be lowered during his inauguration.
At a news conference, Trump reiterated his desire to take back control of the Panama Canal,
Members of the public will be able to pay their respects from 6pm until midnight.
The US Army’s Caisson Detachment carrying the casket of Jimmy Carter to lie in state at the US Capitol building in Washington, on Jan 7.
PHOTO: AFP
On Jan 8, public viewing hours will resume at 7am, and Mr Carter will lie in state in the Rotunda with a military guard of honour for 24 hours.
Both Mr Biden and Trump were expected to attend Carter’s funeral service on Jan 9.
Mr Biden was expected to deliver the eulogy at the 10am funeral service. After that, Mr Carter’s remains will be flown back home to Georgia.
His body will be interred later that day in his hometown of Plains. REUTERS
