Colorado congressman Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), who vowed to “stand up” to President-elect Donald Trump, left his own community event early on Saturday after a crowd of constituents showed up with questions.
Coffman was scheduled to meet with constituents at the Aurora Central Library on Saturday. A crowd of attendees, some with questions about Republican promises to repeal Obamacare, were left to wait in the lobby, according to a report by local station KUSA.
Dozens of frustrated people waiting to speak w/Congressman Mike Coffman, but they say he won’t see them despite calls for a meeting. #9News pic.twitter.com/CY81CrKhiR
— Nelson Garcia (@9NewsEducation) January 14, 2017
Crowd starts singing while trying to get in to see Congressman Mike Coffman in Aurora. He only agreed with people a couple at a time. #9News pic.twitter.com/bqZgj4FF6f
— Nelson Garcia (@9NewsEducation) January 14, 2017
According to KUSA’s report, police officers used crime scene tape to create a perimeter while the crowd waited outside the community room.
The event was scheduled to run from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, but according to the report Coffman left “secretly” six minutes early, at 3:24 p.m.
While more than 100 people were waiting to meet with him, Mike Coffman sneaks out early from his own community event. #9News pic.twitter.com/NAZlXTKgQm
— Nelson Garcia (@9NewsEducation) January 14, 2017
In a statement obtained by KUSA, Coffman’s chief of staff Ben Stein wrote that “the volume of people who came” prevented Coffman from meeting with all the attendees.
“The Congressman met with four people at a time for five minutes each for a total of more than 70 constituents,” Stein wrote. “Unfortunately, we only reserved the room at the Aurora Central Library for 90 minutes, which is usually plenty of time to see everyone. For those who were unable to see the Congressman today we apologize.”
In a campaign ad released in August, Coffman distanced himself from Trump, saying that he doesn’t “care for him much” and vowing to “stand up” to Trump if the then-candidate won the presidency.
In November, barely a week after the election, Coffman left the first full House Republican conference meeting saying that he was “excited” to work with Trump.