U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise defends decision to hold town hall by conference call

As many Republican officeholders across the country face crowds of furious constituents, U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Metairie has been taking heat for not scheduling a meeting in his district.

The residents clamoring for a chance to address Scalise, the House majority whip and third-ranking GOP member of the House, will get a chance Friday, though in a far more controlled format than they had hoped.

A day after U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy was shouted down at a chaotic Jefferson Parish meeting, Scalise announced he’ll be hosting a “tele-town hall,” essentially a conference call, to speak with anyone who has questions.

“What I’ve found from my constituents is they much prefer that approach,” Scalise said when asked about Friday's event after touring tornado damage at the Michoud Assembly Plant in New Orleans East on Thursday. “Maybe someone that wants to dominate and deny constituents the opportunity to have a productive dialogue, they may not like that approach.”

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