Meet Wisconsin's Magical Congressman

By Weijia Jiang, CBS News

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A magician from Wisconsin has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, like turning a $1 bill into a $20 bill.

But some might say his day job is even trickier.

Rep. Mark Pocan serves the district that includes the state capitol of Madison.

He keeps his constituents in the loop with videos his staffers shoot and post online which feature a magic trick or two.

"I think, you know, for people who often look at politics as a very stuffy shirt, collar-tie sort of business, it's nice to show that it's not just that," Pocan said.

The clips often feature special guests, such as Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell.

"If we could only all think together the way we did on this, we could bring parties together again," Dingell said.

Pocan started learning magic when he was eight years old, and he even performed as a teenager to make money for college.

Nowadays, the Democrat also uses magic to build relationships with Republican colleagues.

"It's getting to know people on a personal level. We need more of that in Washington," he said. "You need to get past the Democratic-Republican fights, the splits. And if this is one of those things that can do it, I think magic is pretty universal."

Whatever it takes, Pocan says, to make the barriers disappear.

He says he has not performed for President Donald Trump, but he would welcome the chance.

He has, however, performed tricks for David Copperfield when the famous magician visited Washington, D.C. last year.

The Congressman described the experience as "very nerve-wracking."