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Flake Hammered at Town Hall

Liberal audience jeers senator over health care, Planned Parenthood funding with f-bombs

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., answered protesting town hall attendees in Mesa, Ariz., for 2hours. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., answered protesting town hall attendees in Mesa, Ariz., for 2hours. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

A loud, liberal crowd let Sen. Jeff Flake have it for 2 1/2-hours at a town hall in Arizona on Thursday, chanting “health care for all” even before he took the stage.

Flake’s remark that “I will continue to support, as much as I can, our free-market system of health care” was met with boos, the Arizona Republic reported. He later said he would not support a proposal that didn’t cover pre-existing conditions.

 

“The last thing we need to happen is to have people who have coverage now to have that coverage yanked out from under them,” he told the crowd in his hometown of Mesa. 

Flake was also criticized for opposing funding for Planned Parenthood, telling the audience he was “sorry we have a disagreement about this.”

The Democratic National Committee, which sees the Republican as vulnerable next year, had encouraged Democrats to attend, emailing them to  “Go get in Jeff Flake’s grill.”

“Ask him to protect the Affordable Care Act and investigate Trump’s ties to Russia,” the email said. 

Similarly, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee created a Snapchat filter criticizing him for voting to block an online privacy rule.

At the end of the event, Flake said “This is what democracy looks like. This has been a great evening,” to which a protester yelled “f–k you.”

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