Rep. Barbara Comstock, who represents Virginia’s 10th Congressional district, failed to appear at the town hall meeting she was supposed to host last weekend:
Rep. Barbara Comstock stood up constituents over the weekend who attended two townhalls with questions about an Obamacare repeal and the Trump Administration’s travel ban.
People expecting to meet with her were livid:
But Comstock never showed up, angering dozens of constituents who wanted clarity on the GOP’s plan to replace Obamacare. Others wanted to question her about Trump’s immigration executive order. Dulles International Airport, after all, sits on the edge of Comstock’s district. And on Saturday, thousands from her Northern Virginia district swarmed the airport to protest the travel ban as green-card holders were detained for hours at a time.
“A friend just came back from a Comstock event in Oakton — Barbara was supposed to meet constituents there to talk about the repeal of Obamacare AND SHE NEVER SHOWED UP,” wrote Fairfax resident James McCeney on the public Facebook page of liberal activist group, Our Revolution Northern Virginia. “THIS IS SHAMEFUL… If you're in the 10th district, call her office and let her know that we won't be tolerating her not doing her job anymore.”
Her staff called it a mix-up.
According to social media comments, Comstock did send a staffer in her place. Some in attendance were furious the aide couldn’t answer their questions and simply jotted down their concerns and comments on a piece of paper. Yvonne Sayres, an Ashburn, Va. resident who waited for Comstock for two hours, told POLITICO in an email that "the staffer informed us [Comstock] was 'in the District' but refused to say where."
She did have time to attend a megachurch dedication in her district. Angry constituents continue leaving messages on her Facebook page calling for a town hall meeting with her.
Republicans find themselves on the run from their own constituents across the country. Rep. Mike Coffman was seen bolting early, running out a side door, from a town hall meeting when a large crowd of constituents showed up to support the Affordable Care Act and ask him not to vote for a repeal.
Missouri residents, myself included, have repeatedly asked Sen. Roy Blunt for a town hall meeting with constituents. These people took time off from their jobs to visit his office midday on a Tuesday, but thousands more would like to attend a weekend or evening town hall.
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts’ staff met with 12 constituents yesterday and then locked the door and called police, turning away 130 more constituents lined up to meet with them.
Keep up the pressure. They are truly feeling the heat and we cannot let up for one minute. They can run, but they can’t hide forever. There are 642 days until Nov. 6, 2018 and our representatives need to know we are thinking about them today and every single day until the midterm elections.