Nebraska Republican Faces Rowdy Town Hall With Questions About Epstein Files And Fired Bls Chief

Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., held a municipality hallway Monday that started pinch boos from nan crowd soon aft he took nan shape and ended pinch chants of “vote him out” erstwhile nan arena ended.

In between, nan Nebraska Republican was consistently heckled while responding to questions astir releasing more accusation connected Jeffrey Epstein, President Donald Trump’s firing of nan Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner and cuts to Medicaid successful nan GOP’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.”

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Audience members began yelling astatine Flood and booing him erstwhile he talked astir Medicaid and nan effect of Trump's sweeping home argumentation rule connected hospitals successful Nebraska. Flood based on that there’s “a batch of misinformation” astir nan “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which nary Democrats voted for erstwhile it made its measurement done Congress this summer.

Later he faced a mobility that suggested he was covering up files related to Epstein. Flood responded by saying he supports releasing nan files and will co-sponsor a non-binding House solution calling for their publication.

Flood added that he supports an effort led by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., to person Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell beryllium for a deposition.

Comer past week postponed Maxwell’s deposition, antecedently scheduled for Aug. 11, until astatine slightest October to fto nan Supreme Court determine successful precocious September whether it will reappraisal her case.

Flood besides weighed successful connected nan firing of BLS main Erika McEntarfer, who Trump dismissed Friday soon aft nan agency published figures showing that hiring successful nan U.S. had importantly slowed importantly successful caller months. The congressman suggested he mightiness person handled nan business differently, while adding that he does not cognize “all nan details” astir McEntarfer’s firing.

“I don’t cognize what nan business was pinch nan Department of Labor person. Neither do you. I don’t know. I don’t know,” Flood said. “I tin show you I’ve been an employer for a batch of years, and there’s ever 2 sides to each story, and I don’t cognize what that broadside was. I will opportunity this, though, if each that personification did was get nan information retired there, if each that, and I don’t cognize that’s nan case, but if that’s each they did, I would not person fired her.”

Several Republican senators, arsenic good arsenic economists and statisticians, took rumor pinch Trump terminating McEntarfer past week.

Audience members yelled, jeered and booed passim nan event, pinch audible chants of “free Palestine,” “tax nan rich,” and during nan municipality hall's conclusion, calls to “vote him out.” When Flood attempted to prosecute pinch assemblage members connected those topics, he was mostly met pinch much protests.

Attendees asked astatine slightest 3 different questions astir nan Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, specifically astir Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” which 1 attendee called “Alligator Auschwitz.”

Inquiring astir nan immigration detention installation successful Florida, 1 attendee asked Flood, “How overmuch do taxpayers person to salary for a fascist country?” Flood responded to by saying nan mostly of Americans voted for Trump and not for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

“Americans voted for a, for a separator that is secure, and I support nan president enforcing our migration laws, which, by nan way, were written by Congress,” he added, prompting much boos.

The Nebraska Democratic Party encouraged group to attend Flood’s municipality hall, telling voters of Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District successful a societal media post, “you cognize what to do!”

The statement besides encouraged attendance astatine Flood’s past in-person municipality hallway successful nan state, successful May, erstwhile he was grilled by assemblage members and astatine 1 constituent conceded he had not publication a measure successful afloat earlier voting successful favour of it.

Flood was first elected to Congress successful 2022. He won re-election past twelvemonth with 60% of nan vote.