Goodlatte staffer fields angry questions about her boss’s political priorities

Sixth District Congressman Bob Goodlatte may have been in India on an ostensible “trade mission”, but shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday morning Eastern Standard Time in the ole US of A, he may have been awakened halfway around the world by a severe case of burning-ear syndrome.

Unlike his staffer, Rep. Bob Goodlatte has been elusive to rank and file constituents, especially those with hard questions about the congressman’s recent actions and sponsorships as House Judiciary Chair. Photos/Roger Bianchini

That is because at a weekly “Open Door Meeting” hosted by his District Representative staffer Emily Wicht at Samuels Public Library in Front Royal, 31 constituents showed up to demand answers.

Answers to what?

Some Sixth District constituents want to know why Congressman Goodlatte and some fellow Republicans appear to be in lock-step with “The World According to Trump” without the sort of scrutiny they apply to Democrats. Photo/Roger Bianchini

Topics raised by the standing-room, spilling into the main library from the Baxter-Bowling Conference Room crowd included:

• Why the Congressman, who is chair of the House Judiciary Committee, was on a “trade mission” during the Congressional recess, rather than meeting with constituents? – “He’s hiding,” was one thought expressed on the matter;
• Why it is so hard to get a direct response from the congressman to specific constituent inquiries?
• Why as Judiciary chair, he had barred Democratic members from a meeting with immigration (ICE) officials over new administration policies?
• What the impact on agricultural operations from mass deportations of undocumented aliens, many whom have worked and paid taxes here for years, will be without minimum wage increases to make that work more palatable to citizens reluctant to do such harsh field work?
• Why he supports repeal of the Affordable Care Act without any stated replacement plan by the president or congressional Republicans?
• His support for thinly-veiled Congressional and Administration assaults on the environment by putting federal lands up for sale to corporate interests on a state-by-state basis?
• Why his first initiative in the current Congressional session was to sponsor an attempt to remove independent ethics oversight of Congressmen? – “I think it was the Mountain Valley Pipeline,” one constituent commented (a reference to an alleged family land holding that could profit from approval of said pipeline);
• Why he seems to ignore or be hostile to efforts to reduce health care costs and spiraling student-loan debt??
• If he and other congressional Republicans are putting Party and ideology before the general health and welfare of their constituents, and the nation as a whole?
• Why he and so many congressional Republicans are ignoring information reportedly in U.S. intelligence hands on potential Russian influence on Trump’s behalf in the election – in a presidential campaign during which Trump himself, called on the Russians to hack his opponent’s e-mails – after repeatedly investigating Hillary Clinton’s Benghazi-related e-mails at the cost of millions to taxpayers?
• And finally, will the congressman be willing to appear at Town Hall meetings here, and elsewhere in his district to answer these and other questions?

‘Emily for Congress’

And that last issue was one that stirred the crowd up, because as Wicht told the crowd from the beginning, she is not authorized to speak for the congressman.  So, there were, and will never be answers to questions posed to the congressman in this type of forum.

Goodlatte staffer Emily Wicht’s good nature in fielding tough questions won a tough crowd over during Feb. 22 ‘Open Door Meeting’ at Samuels Library in Front Royal. Photo/Roger Bianchini

“Emily for congress; Emily for congress,” a friendly chant went up near the meeting’s end as a reaction to the good nature with which the Goodlatte staffer fielded the sometimes aggressively-posed and emotionally-charged questions.

“You’re HERE,” someone said, contrasting Wicht’s presence with her boss’s elusiveness; and what several characterized as an arrogant superiority exhibited by the congressman toward constituents, other than high-dollar donors.

(There will be a more detailed follow up on particular aspects of questions posed to, and comments aimed at Congressman Goodlatte posted on the Royal Examiner site in coming days.)