Democratic Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell responded to President Trump’s remarks from Wednesday night’s rally that her husband may be in hell.
Dingell, who took the seat of her late husband John earlier this year, was in Washington, D.C., voting for impeachment when Trump joked that her husband may be “looking up” at her during his campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan. Following Trump’s remarks, Dingell posted a tweet describing the heartbreak the president caused by bashing her dead husband.
“Mr. President, let’s set politics aside,” Dingell wrote. “My husband earned all his accolades after a lifetime of service. I’m preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love. You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder.”
Mr. President, let’s set politics aside. My husband earned all his accolades after a lifetime of service. I’m preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love. You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder.
— Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) December 19, 2019
She also joined CNN to express her anguish over Trump’s remarks on Thursday morning.
“I think it’s time to put politics aside on these kind of shots. I try to be respectful of everybody. I’ve never taken a personal shot at this president. I think his family is off-limits,” the congresswoman said.
She explained that she didn’t call Trump to help arrange her husband’s funeral, including the decision to lower the flags to half-staff to honor him for being the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history. Instead, she claimed Trump made the call.
“He called me to tell me he was lowering the flags. And that meant a lot,” she said. “But John Dingell earned his burial at Arlington cemetery because he’s a World War II veteran, longest-serving member in the Congress. He loved our country.”
Dingell noted that her family was still grieving their loss and said some things should be “off-limits” in political attacks.
“I don’t want to get into this tit for tat. That’s going down to his level. He did lower the flags. And I was grateful, and I told him that. And I think we just all need to really look to what’s happening to the tone of rhetoric and the divisiveness in this country,” she said.
The congresswoman said she doesn’t care whether or not Trump apologizes for his remarks, adding, “I don’t want to politicize my husband. I don’t want to politicize his death.”
