U.S. Rep. Angie Craig continues town halls as GOP colleagues seek ethics review
Apr. 24---- Just over two months after protesters who gathered outside U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach's office in Willmar called on her to hold a town hall meeting to hear their concerns, one of the Republican congresswoman's Democratic colleagues in the U.S. House is planning exactly that.
Democrat and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Angie Craig hosted town halls in Grand Rapids on Monday and St. Cloud on Wednesday. She is hosting a town hall Thursday evening in Willmar that represents her third out-of-district town hall in the past week. She is scheduled to be in Mankato on Friday.
"I just wanted to show you what it might look like for a representative to actually show up and do their job of representing their constituents," Craig told about 80 people attending her meeting Wednesday at Ritsche Auditorium on the St. Cloud State University campus, according to a St. Cloud Live report.
Craig's Minnesota Republican colleagues in the U.S. House sent a letter to the House Committee on Ethics and the Committee on House Administration urging them to review potential violations of House rules by Craig, according to a news release.
In the release, Fischbach, Congressman Tom Emmer, Congressman Brad Finstad and Congressman Pete Stauber say that House ethics rules "prohibit members of Congress from using official resources to promote political events." They argue that Craig is "using her taxpayer-funded congressional office to further her political ambitions by publicizing campaign-sponsored events and soliciting donations for political fundraising."
Craig answered by telling reporters Wednesday evening in St. Cloud that none of this is being paid for by a single taxpayer dime, St. Cloud Live's Trent Abrego reported. Craig said the letter only provides her with "another opportunity to talk about the fact that they won't come talk to their constituents," according to St. Cloud Live.
Protesters had gathered outside of Rep. Fischbach's office in Willmar in frigid weather Feb. 19 to voice concerns about President Donald Trump's federal budget cuts and immigration actions, and they urged Fischbach to oppose them. They also called on her to hold town hall meetings in her district.
Fischbach hosted a telephone town hall meeting on March 25, according to an announcement from her office, and said that some 14,000 people participated.
Local members of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party said Thursday afternoon that they are expecting a good turnout for Craig's visit later in the day. Fernando Alvarado, of Willmar, a DFL Party leader in Kandiyohi County and former state legislative candidate, told the West Central Tribune that he expects the main topics in Willmar to be what he described as the "chaos in Washington" and concerns about the potential of cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and programs for veterans, along with tariffs.
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