RantCrush Top 5: February 17, 2017

Today is the start of the first weeklong recess in 2017 for Congress. Traditionally, representatives and senators return home to hold town hall meetings and take questions from their constituents face-to-face. But this year, many Republicans are bucking that tradition as some early town halls have resulted in protests and angry crowds, like Jason Chaffetz’s event in Salt Lake City where he was greeted with boos and the chant “Do your job!”

Facing growing outrage over Trump, GOP Congressmen skip town halls, hide from constituents. https://t.co/J7VcD9xk5t

— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) February 16, 2017

Instead of facing their constituents, some are leaving town, others just haven’t scheduled any public appearances, and some decided to hold town halls via phone or Skype. Rep. Scott Perry, from Pennsylvania, even repeated the popular claim that the protests are only attended by paid protesters. But luckily not all Republicans believe that. “We know these people, we see them at events, they’re entitled to speak their mind and we want to make sure that we give them the platform just like we do others,” said Representative Mark Walker, chair of the conservative Republican Study Committee.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.