Congressman Cancels Obamacare Meeting After Reporter Shows Up
Congressman Peter Roskam’s (R-IL) office cancelled a meeting with constituents regarding Obamacare on Wednesday after realizing that a reporter was present, according to the Aurora Beacon-News.
Sandra Alexander, a constituent living in Roskam’s district, told the Beacon-News that she scheduled the meeting with Roskam’s staff ahead of time and informed them that she would be bringing along a small group. Among the group, was a reporter, which the Congressman’s office opposed.
Roskam’s outreach coordinator, Eddie Corrigan, told the Beacon-News that the meeting was closed to the press. “It is a meeting with constituents — we are not shutting down the press,” he said.
Another staff member also told the group that there was only supposed to be eight attendees, but 16 had arrived. The staffer informed the group that the office would reschedule the meeting, per the Beacon-News.
Alexander told the Beacon-News that she was unaware of any conditions for the meeting, and said that she did arrange for a meeting with just eight people. But Alexander said she had been willing to send some people home if the group was too large. She also said that the reporter present was willing to leave if Roskam’s staff wanted the meeting to be closed to the press.
“He just ran off,” she told the Beacon-News. “They never told me that the media could not be here, and the reporter was willing to leave so that we could have our meeting.”
Alexander added, “I am flabbergasted that Peter Roskam and his staff would turn us away. They didn’t have the courtesy to listen to us. We are a peaceful group.”
