Dingell on the U.S. Capitol Steps

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) tells Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to be respectful her neighbors ahead of a photo opportunity on the steps of the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. The House passed H.R. #3755, the Womens Health Protection Act earlier this morning. (Photo: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

'Hold My Pearls': Debbie Dingell Lets Marjorie Taylor Green Have It Over Abortion Rights

The Michigan Democrat engaged in a verbal altercation with the far-right Republican lawmaker from Georgia on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan exchanged heated words with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia outside the U.S. Capitol building Friday afternoon as Democratic lawmakers gathered to champion passage of sweeping abortion rights legislation.

"I was mad. Why do you have to yell at your colleagues on the steps of the Capitol other than to create a scene?"

While Dingell and her fellow Democrats gathered for a press event, Taylor Greene--the far-right Republican known for her provocative style and embrace of conspiracy theories--was seen heckling the Democrats from the periphery of the event when she appeared to catch the ear of Dingell standing nearby.

"Horrendous," Taylor Greene could be heard saying to the Democratic lawmakers on video posted to social media. "You should all be ashamed."

Upon hearing that, Dingell engaged Taylor Greene by saying she should exhibit some level of "civility," and that's when the exchange began.

"Killing a baby up until birth is a lack of civility," Taylor Greene shot back at Dingell. "It's called murder."

"We have lots of laws we follow," Dingell shouted back. "You should practice the basic thing you're taught in church: Respect your neighbor."

Watch:

Sharing a separate video offering a different angle of the exchange, Dingell tweeted: "Hold my pearls."

"I was mad," Dingell said to The Detroit News following the incident. "Why do you have to yell at your colleagues on the steps of the Capitol other than to create a scene? It's already edgy. Everybody's mad at each other. And we need to treat each other with respect and civility and listen to each other. Listen to different perspectives."

Subsequently, Dingell said there were two things to learn from the incident.

"Be a good neighbor," she tweeted. And then, "Don't mess with Michigan women."

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.