Paul Ryan Gets Emotional Welcoming Steve Scalise Back to Congress After Near-Fatal Shooting

Norah O'Donnell/Twitter
Norah O'Donnell/Twitter
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In an incredibly heartwarming and powerful moment, Speaker Paul Ryan was brought to tears upon seeing Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) back on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning.

“60 Minutes” contributor Norah O’Donnell published photos of the moment on Twitter and Instagram. See Ryan’s reaction below:

And see the two politicians embrace here:

Speaker Paul Ryan brought to tears as he sees Congressman Scalise back on the Hill. @cbsnews @60minutes

A post shared by Norah O'Donnell (@norahodonnell) on

Ryan also welcomed Scalise back to the House floor on Thursday morning for the first time since the Jun 14 shooting that nearly claimed his life — and Scalise received a standing ovation from his colleagues, CBS News reported.

“Our prayers have been answered,” Ryan said. “His bravery and family’s strength have been such an inspiration.”

For his part, Scalise said that the past three and a half months “have been pretty challenging times” for both him and his family, and that his recovery has been miraculous in nature.

“I’m definitely a living example that miracles really do happen,” he added.

In an interview set to air on Oct. 1, Scalise will share personal details of the gunshot wound he sustained when Republican congressman were attacked on June 14 by James T. Hodgkinson, 66, of Belleville, Illinois, as they practiced for a charity baseball game that is held annually against a team of their Democratic peers.

“My femur was shattered,” Scalise told O’Donnell. “The hip and pelvis had serious damage where the bullet went through and, you know, did some damage to areas that had to be shored up with steel plates and then they did a phenomenal job of rebuilding, you know, kind of the, rebuilding Humpty Dumpty. I mean, there were, there was a lot of damage inside that had to get fixed.”

He said that doctors put him “back together again.”