GOP Official Lies To Voters, Calls Them “Children” As Town Hall Protests Continue

Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis Is Latest Victim Of Anti-Trump Backlash

A Florida GOP official blatantly lied to voters on Saturday, then referred to them as “children” at a town hall for a Republican congressman in Florida. 

Bill Akins, secretary of the county Republican Party, falsely claimed that the Affordable Care Act includes a provision requiring elderly people to go before “death panels.” This death panel claim was PolitiFact’s “Lie of the Year” in 2009. 

When the crowd spontaneously fact-checked Akins by erupting in boos and shouts, he disrespectfully referred to them as “children” 

The incident took place during a town hall hosted by GOP Congressman Gus Bilirakis in Port Richey, Florida. It was the latest in a series of protests at town hall events hosted by Republican representatives, mostly in response to their planned repeal of the ACA.  

On Thursday, thousands of protesters swarmed a town hall hosted by Utah Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz. Chaffetz, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, later suggested that the protesters had been paid. 

“Absolutely. I know there were,” Chaffetz told the Deseret News, adding that the protest was “more of a paid attempt to bully and intimidate” than a reflection of his constituents’ views. 

More footage from the Bilirakis town hall below.