Republican receives threatening voicemail after backing Biden’s infrastructure bill
Fred Upton is one of 13 House Republicans who voted to pass infrastructure
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Republican Rep Fred Upton of Michiganshared a threatening voicemail he received for voting for the bipartisan infrastructure bill on CNN Monday evening.
Mr Upton was one of 13 Republicans who voted to advance the infrastructure bill alongside all but six Democrats in the House of Representatives late on Friday evening.
One voicemail he received that he shared with Anderson Cooper called him a traitor.
“I hope you die. I hope everybody in your f***ing family dies," while labelling him a "f***ing piece of s*** traitor,” one voicemail said.
Cooper said Mr Upton’s office told him the voicemail was not an isolated incident and that multiple people said similar things.
“It’s a real step back,” Mr Upton said, saying that the person who left the voicemail was not a constituent of his, but noted how Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, tweeted his number and those of the 12 other Republicans who voted for the bill.
Mr Upton defended his vote and said the bill was bipartisan and noted that the man who left the threatening voicemail was from South Carolina and that the state’s senior senator, Lindsey Graham, also a Republican, voted for the bill in the upper chamber.
“We had a long history of trying to work together, this doesn’t change the tax code, it’s paid for, traditional infrastructure, including broadband, roads and highways” Mr Upton said.
His vote on infrastructure is only the most recent example of when he crossed party lines this year. Earlier this year, he was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former president Donald Trump for his actions inciting the 6 January riot on Capitol Hill.
In response, Mr Trump endorsed his primary challenger Steve Carra, along with other GOP primary challengers.
Fellow GOP Rep Nicole Malliotakis of New York, who also voted for the infrastructure bill, also spoke to CNN on Monday and tried to credit Mr Trump with the passage of the bill with host John Berman, even though President Joe Biden will sign it.
“President Trump laid the groundwork for this infrastructure to pass,” she said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments