Utah GOP chair says attendees at Stewart town hall are 'thugs'

Salt Lake City — (KUTV) Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah was booed on Friday by the angry crowd that attended his town hall meeting at West High School in Salt Lake City.

"That's why I continue to call them thugs that's the way thugs behave," said James Evans, Chair of Utah's Republican Party.

Donald Aguirre, who attended the event, said Evans' view of the town hall attendees is "ridiculous".

"We are constituents," he said.

Aguirre is co-founder of Utah Indivisible, an on-line movement that rallies people to keep an eye on members of Congress and their votes on various issues that will affect people's live for years to come.

Utah Indivisible also encourages people to call or meet with their members of Congress and demand town halls so they can explain their positions and answer questions.

Aguirre said Stewart needs to explain why he was prepared to vote for a replacement for the Affordable Care Act potentially leaving millions without insurance.

He also wanted to hear Stewart talk about what he would do to ensure integrity in the work of the House Intelligence Committee which is investigating allegations that President Trump's associates worked with Russia to meddle in the 2016 election.

Aguirre said if the crowd at the town halls was angry, there was reason.

"There were substantive questions being asked and there were answers being provided that lacked substance," Aguirre said.

Evans said the crowd represents a minority of Stewart's constituents who are angry that their candidate lost the 2016 election. He said they hijacked the meeting.

He said the town halls don't advance democracy and members of Congress don't have to do them.

"Where is it written that you have to go before this theatrical mob and listen to them boo and chant and vent?" he said.

Aguirre said if members of Congress feel uncomfortable hearing from unhappy constituents and feel they are too mean, it's no excuse to not have town halls.

"There is zero excuse to not engage your constituency and if you don't do it, you are a coward," said Aguirre.

Via email, Stewart said he's had 51 town halls so far, and he will continue to have similar events to engage with constituents.

Aguirre said he's been trying to have a face-to-face meeting with Rep. Mia Love with no success. He lives in her district.

He said he's met with her staffers, but can't get to her personally. He did take part in a telephonic town hall but was disappointed that callers questions seemed to be pre-screened and that she had Congressman John Radcliffe from Texas answering some questions for her.

He said constituents have raised money through YouCaring for billboards that encourage people to call Mia Love and demand a town hall.