Trending
Beginning in March, a coordinated campaign was launched to pressure Republicans with aggressive, threatening and disrespectful calls, mostly from non-constituents, to host satellite DNC rallies in their districts, inappropriately dubbed "townhalls." This effort is being funded by left-wing organizations and amplified by the failing Democrat Party infrastructure in a dishonest attempt to stage a grassroots movement.
In recent days, I've received requests from multiple media outlets misrepresenting my accessibility to constituents and questioning the work I've done to represent them. These reporters refuse to acknowledge the inorganic nature of these protests and choose to misconstrue activist propaganda as authentic civil concern. It's time to set the record straight.
The 119th Congress began on Jan. 3. In the few short months thereafter (less than 100 days) I have been proud to:
• Speak with thousands of constituents and stakeholders in Washinton, D.C., and throughout the 11 counties of my district, hearing the concerns of veterans, students, blue-collar workers and so many other everyday citizens who make our nation great;
• Tour dozens of factories, health care centers, universities and more, seeing firsthand how Ohio's 6th District builds, fuels and supplies the world;
• Sponsor crucial pieces of legislation to protect our seniors' Social Security, expand rural access to health care and broadband connectivity and enact President Trump's America First agenda; and
• Communicate openly with the media and my constituents, conducting more than 50 interviews on television, radio and in print, as well as maintaining an active and responsive social media presence highlighting my views and work in Congress.
In addition to this, my office fields and responds to nearly 3,000 constituent calls, letters and e-mails each week and stands ready to assist all who contact us. We help constituents daily with hundreds of issues ranging from VA benefit and Social Security claims to U.S. Service Academy nominations and everything in between. The constituent work we do for the 6th District is unmatched and will continue without end as long as I have the honor to serve.
MoveOn, a left-wing organization funded by George Soros and other billionaires from around the country, is spending millions to coordinate a "townhall" campaign with the express purpose of flooding community centers with out-of-state protesters intent on causing chaos and drowning out the voices of hard-working Americans. I will not allow these paid protesters to make a mockery of the democratic process and intimidate my constituents who voted overwhelmingly in support of President Trump's agenda.
Lastly, I would like to put forth a challenge to my illustrious friends in the media: Instead of magnifying the same activist voices again and again as if they formed a broad consensus, look a little closer at the protesters' purse strings, playbooks and places of residence and you'll see the inconsistencies between their reality and that of the 6th District residents I continue to meet with every day.
(Rulli, R-Salem, represents Ohio's 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives)