GOP lawmaker: No town halls because of threats against lawmakers

Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) says she won’t hold any town hall events this summer because she believes they are too dangerous.

Granger told WFAA that the number of threats against lawmakers made her rethink how lawmakers interact with constituents, adding that she does not believe the town halls are effective. 

“I wish we could have a town hall meeting and engage with others,” Granger said. “There are so many threats going on.”

{mosads}By the end of June, Capitol Police had investigated nearly 1,000 threats against members of Congress in 2017, already higher than the number of threats investigated in all of 2016.

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Capitol staffers were shot while practicing for a charity baseball game last month. Scalise was in critical condition following the shooting and had a surgery last week for a “deep tissue infection.” 

Other members of Congress have refused to hold town halls recently, including Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who cited security concerns and an inability to have a “civil discussion” stemming from the growing number of protests at town halls.