During a Saturday morning town hall, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) faced a raucous crowd of about 500 people pressing him on President Donald Trump and on health care.
The crowd cheered and jeered at times as Issa, who could face a tough re-election battle next year as his district trends to the left, attempted to answer his constituents’ questions.
John Mathews, a Republican voter in Issa’s district, asked the congressman to be more of a check on Trump.
“I want to know when you and the Republican Party are going to stand up, use your political capital, and recognize that our democracy is under attack from an adversary,” Mathews said, according to Politico. His comment was met with cheers from the audience.
Issa replied that he is tough on Russia, prompting jeers from the crowd and shouts of “Stand up,” according to Politico.
The congressman also said that he would continue to support Robert Mueller, the special counsel now tasked with the Russia probe, and defend his ability to conduct the investigation.
“I want him to have the freedom and the funds to do it. And that last part, I can tell you, is where I have more power,” Issa said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Issa also faced questions on health care. When one member of the crowd criticized Issa for supporting the House GOP bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, the congressman did not back down from his decision to vote for the legislation, according to Politico.
The congressman did say he didn’t agree with Trump’s decision to pull out from the Paris climate agreement, however.
“I am disappointed in the tactic the president took,” he said, according to the Ocean County Register. “I would have preferred he renegotiate from that position of strength.”
Asked after the town hall if he was concerned about re-election, Issa told Politico he wasn’t worried.
“Not a bit,” he said.
“I got more votes in the last election than I did in any previous election. But there was an 83 percent turnout,” he continued. “That’s not duplicatable in an off year. It’s not even normally duplicatable in a presidential year.”
