Harriet Hageman

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., is taking her town halls virtual in response to numerous disruptions at a number of events she's held recently in the southern part of the state.

On Tuesday her office announced it's changing the way town hall meetings with constituents are conducted, at least in the short-term, based on recent incidents at public events, credible threats to Hageman, and the related national outbursts of politically motivated violence and attempts at intimidation. Until now, Hageman has held town hall meetings in person in public venues, but that will shift to tele-town halls or virtual settings until it is safer for all Wyomingites. Hageman had previously announced town hall meetings on March 28 in Cheyenne and March 29 in Torrington; both will now be held via tele town hall at the same date and times as previously announced.

Since running for Congress in 2022, Hageman has held 75 in-person town halls, with at least three occurring in each of Wyoming’s 23 counties. Over that time, 73 of those meetings have occurred without incident, even though there has been spirited discussion with constituents at each one. In the past week, however, one town hall erupted in chaos fomented by activists, according to the release, resulting in tense confrontations that threatened to spiral out of control.

At a town hall in Laramie on March 19, hundreds of protestors organized by the local Albany County Democratic Party and national influencers made such consistent and sustained disruptions that “shouts, boos and explicit language filled the theater,” according to the Laramie Boomerang.

Because of the events in Laramie, more than 20 officers from multiple agencies were assigned to keep the peace at a town hall in Wheatland the next day on March 20. Despite the law enforcement presence, an attendee followed Hageman leaving the venue and initiated a physical confrontation with staff, into which local police were forced to intervene, the release stated. Hageman also reported that staff in her Washington, D.C. and Wyoming offices have received numerous, credible threatening phone calls and emails, currently being investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies.

“I thank our wonderful law enforcement community for their willingness to support the public and myself while participating in our government process. It has become apparent, however, that the continuation of in-person town halls will be a drain on our local resources due to safety concerns for attendees,” Hageman said in the release, noting that it's part of a larger trend of what she said were antagonistic actions on the part of Democratic activists, including incidents of "swatting," where someone calls in a fake report of a situation that would require a large police presence.

“As the saying goes, ‘This is why we can’t have nice things,’” Hageman said. “I am proud of my record of holding dozens and dozens of town halls — 75 of them in just three years, at least three times in each of Wyoming’s 23 counties. And the only times we have had any problems with safety have been at two of the six held in the last week.”

She said she's willing to engage with citizens and has made a point of doing so, "But I draw the line when organized protestors intentionally create confrontation and chaos, escalating tensions to a point where violence seems inevitable,” Hageman said. “It’s not safe for the peaceful citizens who want to come out to speak to their elected representative face to face. It’s not safe for attendees, it’s not safe for law enforcement, and it doesn’t do anything to encourage a meaningful dialogue at all.”

She said while town halls will go virtual for the time being, she wants to see Democratic leaders work to stop activists from the actions that led to the closure of her in-person town halls.

“I am formally calling on Sen. Schumer and his leadership counterpart in the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, to denounce their party’s organized disruptors and crime," she said. "A failure to do so will only further confirm that the left’s radical tactics are no longer on the fringe but the mainstay of the Democratic Party and prove once again their disdain for the First Amendment and legitimate political discourse. It is time for them to demand that their partisans stop threatening and intimidating people and causing actual violence before someone gets seriously injured or killed.”