Republican's town hall descends into chaos as angry voters rage over Epstein files and Trump agenda

Independent

a day ago

A California lawmaker has become the latest Trump-era Republican to face the ire of his constituents at a town hall that devolved into chaos Monday morning.
Doug LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer who has represented his northern California district since 2013, was booed, jeered and cursed out by angry voters at the local Elks Lodge in Chico over the president's economic policies and the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Over 90 minutes, attendees called LaMalfa a 'liar,' an 'a**hole,' and accused him of 'bull****.' At one point, when the moderator called on one person to ask a question, someone yelled: 'F*** you!'
LaMalfa's is the latest GOP town hall to attract irate voters after similar scenes earlier this year in states including Wisconsin, Georgia, and North Carolina. It led National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson to reportedly advise his party's lawmakers to avoid in-person events in March. While Republican leaders previously suggested these hecklers were paid protesters, they have not provided evidence for these claims.
The crowd of around 650 people in Chico, a college town 90 miles north of Sacramento, were especially angry over the administration's handling of the Epstein investigation. Last month, the Justice Department and FBI released a joint memo indicating there would be no further disclosures related to the Epstein sex trafficking investigation. The apparent lack of transparency over the late sex offender's case was condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike.
'You all left, the Speaker of the House released you guys so you didn't have to deal with releasing the files,' one attendee shouted, referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson's decision to send lawmakers on August recess before they could vote on a resolution calling on the Trump administration to release more information about Epstein.
'It's interesting the Epstein situation was not an issue during the Biden administration,' LaMalfa noted earlier in the town hall. The crowd booed and jeered in response.
LaMalfa also called for 'very clear transparency' on the Epstein investigation, and said he hoped more information will be available when Congress returns next month.
'I think it's a bad look to have this information continue to be suppressed, but there's also people involved in the way those files at some level need to be redacted,' he added.
One attendee expressed frustration that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend who is serving 20 years for her role in his sex trafficking scheme, was recently moved to a minimum-security prison in Texas after being interviewed by the Justice Department.
'She needs to still get her time and be held accountable,' the same attendee, who had asked about the Epstein Files, shouted, as LaMalfa nodded along.
Another audience member then asked: 'Do you believe that elected officials who knowingly protect and enable criminal behavior, including insurrection, fraud, and sexual abuse, should be removed from office?'
LaMalfa looked down during the question, prompting the audience member to shout: 'I'm talking to you, look!'
'If yes, why have you not publicly condemned members of your own party accused of these actions?' the audience member added.
'Everybody should be held accountable whether you're elected or not if you've done an illegal activity,' LaMalfa responded. 'And there you get, you know, the lady was talking about due process, right? Due process for Ghislaine Maxwell, due process for the people on January 6.'
'You should be ashamed of yourself!' an attendee cried out in response.
'That wasn't a good answer?' LaMalfa asked.
Several attendees cried out: 'No!'
One audience member also asked LaMalfa about the cuts to Medicaid and Medicare under Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill,' a sweeping tax and spending bill he signed into law last month. The legislation is estimated to cut spending on Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare by $1.1 trillion over the next decade, and 11.8 million people are expected to lose coverage by 2034.
LaMalfa claimed there are 'no cuts to the people themselves.' In response, an attendee shouted: 'You're lying!'
Another attendee blasted Trump's tariffs, citing the impact on farmers. Under these tariffs, the costs of fertilizers, machinery and other supplies will go up, The New York Times reports.
'If you're not here to either announce your resignation, why aren't you here to apologize to the farmers of the North State because of your support for the Trump tariffs?' the attendee asked.
The audience cheered in response to the question.