Hundreds Show Up For Raucous Town Hall With Freshman GOP Rep. In Virginia

Audience members react to a question asked by an audience member during a town hall meeting held by Rep. Scott Taylor at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. (Kristen Zeis/The Virgini... Audience members react to a question asked by an audience member during a town hall meeting held by Rep. Scott Taylor at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. (Kristen Zeis/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) MORE LESS
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At a town hall event Monday night, freshman Rep. Scott Taylor (R-VA) faced a sometimes rowdy crowd of constituents confronting him about Republican plans to repeal Obamacare and white nationalist influences on President Donald Trump’s administration.

The event, held in a high school auditorium, reached capacity with 750 poeple packed inside, leaving a few hundred more standing outside during the town hall, according to local television station WAVY.

The congressman and those asking questions were periodically interrupted by shouting from other attendees, forcing the congressman to keep asking the crowd to remain orderly, according to the Virginian-Pilot.

“Come on guys. We all live here,” he said multiple times, asking attendees to let him and others speak, per the Virginian-Pilot.

Taylor acknowledged that the country is divided as he tried to address constituents’ concerns.

“I feel you. I get it. I’m living it every day,” he said, according to the newspaper. “This district has wonderful people who can rise above the divide.”

The congressman told the crowd that he supports Republicans’ plan to repeal Obamacare.

“The vast majority of people are getting crushed by Obamacare,” he said, according to WAVY. “What’s responsible I believe, is dissecting, having a discussion, and finding the best thing.”

An attendee also asked Taylor why he hasn’t publicly denounced White House adviser Steve Bannon, the former chairman of Breitbart News.

“How do you explain to your constituents of color that you support a President whose closest adviser has been proven to have ties to white nationalists?” Virginia Beach resident Kari Foster asked, according to the Virginian-Pilot.

Taylor replied that he does not believe Bannon should sit on the National Security Council principals committee, but said he did not want to stray into “personal attacks,” according to the newspaper.

After the town hall, Taylor spoke with Todd Zwillich for “The Takeway” radio program, who asked the congressman about the trend of packed town halls with Republican lawmakers across the country.

“We have chaos going on right now in the country, there’s no doubt about it. There’s a lot of division,” Taylor replied.

But he added that constituents’ interest and pointed questions is “not new,” arguing that people were just as concerned about health care as lawmakers were set to pass the Affordable Care Act.

“I think everybody should calm down,” Taylor said.

Watch video from the town hall via local TV station WVEC:

This post has been updated.

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