Minnesota’s DFL members of Congress are unified in opposition to statements made by Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann questioning whether liberal members of Congress support America. Reps. Betty McCollum, James Oberstar, Keith Ellison, Collin Peterson and Tim Walz, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar released a joint letter on Monday denouncing the statements made by Bachmann on Friday.

“For Michele Bachmann to go on national television and say that Members of Congress should be investigated for ‘anti-American views’ calls into question her judgment and her ability to work in a bipartisan way to put the interests of our country first in this time of crisis.

Like Colin Powell, who called Bachmann’s comments ‘nonsense,’ we are embarrassed by her comments.

All Members of Congress — Democrats and Republicans — swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and for Michele Bachmann to question their loyalty is outrageous.

We pride ourselves in Minnesota on our clean and civil elections, but Michele Bachmann’s comments run entirely counter to that tradition. All Americans, regardless of their political beliefs, should reject these kinds of divisive, inappropriate and unacceptable comments.”