GOP Rep. Threatens To Cancel Town Hall If Protesters Get ‘Disruptive’

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 2: Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., participates in the House Financial Services Committee meeting to organize for the 115th Congress on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ... UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 2: Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., participates in the House Financial Services Committee meeting to organize for the 115th Congress on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
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Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) has an ultimatum for those who plan to protest his upcoming town hall Wednesday: behave or I’ll scrap the whole thing.

In a statement to the Pioneer Press newspaper, Emmer’s office cautioned that if protesters turn the town hall event into a “disruptive display,” it will be cancelled.

“Should this event turn into a disruptive display, or if there are any violent actions or threats, we will end the meeting and be forced to reassess our policy on town halls going forward,” Emmer’s chief of staff David FitzSimmons wrote in a statement to the paper.

FitzSimmons clarified that “disruptive behavior” is classified, among other things, as “shouting” and “chanting,” according to the paper. Requests by TPM to clarify if non-verbal protests would result in the cancellation of the event were not immediately answered by Emmer’s office.

The announcement came as various town halls held by Republican leaders have drawn thousands of protesters demanding answers on everything from Republicans’ plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act to calls to answer for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet decisions.

Just last week, groups said they were expecting about 100 protesters at Emmer’s event, according to the St. Cloud Times.

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