Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell and Republican Rep. Fred Upton sat down for a joint interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” to reflect on a tumultuous year in Washington and to call on Americans to, as Dingell says, “get back to just remembering how much we have in common.”
“It’s pretty toxic, there’s no question about it,” Upton said of the climate in Washington. “It’s a pretty toxic place. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
During the interview, Dingell reacted to a threatening voicemail message sent to her office. In the message, the caller insults her repeatedly, naming her a “f**king foul b*tch” and adding, “I pray to God, if you’ve got any children, they die in your face.”
“I want the American people to think about what’s happening in our country, that this kind of hate, this fear is happening in communities across the country,” Dingell said.
“I was in my office, but I have a balcony and I watched people go down the mall and I saw them come back, and I heard the noise and obviously was watching what happened. But it was real and shocking,” Upton said.
“I mean that is — it was a scary day,” Upton continued.
Both lawmakers highlighted their friendship as a model for bipartisan unity in Washington. Dingell said her and Upton are regularly at odds over legislation, but Upton was quick to note their friendship took precedence.
“I can have very strong disagreements even with Fred over some policies –” Dingell began to say.
Upton, cutting her off, clarified, “but I’ll always make her laugh at the end.”
