"Are you, Rep. Smucker, consciously a mercenary for billionaires who are working to undermine our democracy and weaken the middle class?" Jonathan Smucker wrote on Twitter after he was ejected from a constituent meeting. (Photo: Rep. Lloyd Smucker)
Activist Ejected From Meeting With Lawmaker After Asking How Much Money He's Getting From Koch Brothers
"This is my representative, and I want to know how much the Koch brothers are getting in tax cuts and how much they're contributing to your campaign."
During an RSVP-only meeting on "tax reform" organized by the Koch brothers-backed group Americans for Prosperity Wednesday morning, activist and author Jonathan Smucker demanded to know how much Pennsylvania Rep. Lloyd Smucker (no relation) has received in campaign contributions from Charles and David Koch.
Jonathan was quickly ejected from the event--but he caught part of it on video.
"This is my representative, and I want to know how much the Koch brothers are getting in tax cuts and how much they're contributing to your campaign," Jonathan said. "It's a fair question. We have a right...to get answers from you. You've been avoiding us and meeting with these private groups. And we want to know how much money they're getting in benefits from this [tax] bill."
Watch:
Jonathan was referring to the $1.5 trillion tax bill President Donald Trump signed into law last December. According to an analysis by Americans for Tax Fairness published last month, the Koch brothers "could save between $1 billion and $1.4 billion combined in income taxes each year" thanks to the new law.
Rep. Smucker voted for the bill and enthusiastically celebrated its passage.
In a Twitter thread following the meeting--which was officially titled "Unrigging the Economy: A Conversation with Congressman Lloyd Smucker"--Jonathan listed the questions he would have asked Rep. Smucker if he had been allowed to stay.
"Are you, Rep. Smucker, consciously a mercenary for billionaires who are working to undermine our democracy and weaken the middle class?" Jonathan wrote. "Are you consciously a mercenary because that's what it takes to get the campaign contributions you think you need to stay in office?"
After the meeting ended, Rep. Smucker tweeted that he "participated in a vibrant discussion this morning in Lancaster on the impacts of tax reform."
He did not address Jonathan's questions.
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During an RSVP-only meeting on "tax reform" organized by the Koch brothers-backed group Americans for Prosperity Wednesday morning, activist and author Jonathan Smucker demanded to know how much Pennsylvania Rep. Lloyd Smucker (no relation) has received in campaign contributions from Charles and David Koch.
Jonathan was quickly ejected from the event--but he caught part of it on video.
"This is my representative, and I want to know how much the Koch brothers are getting in tax cuts and how much they're contributing to your campaign," Jonathan said. "It's a fair question. We have a right...to get answers from you. You've been avoiding us and meeting with these private groups. And we want to know how much money they're getting in benefits from this [tax] bill."
Watch:
Jonathan was referring to the $1.5 trillion tax bill President Donald Trump signed into law last December. According to an analysis by Americans for Tax Fairness published last month, the Koch brothers "could save between $1 billion and $1.4 billion combined in income taxes each year" thanks to the new law.
Rep. Smucker voted for the bill and enthusiastically celebrated its passage.
In a Twitter thread following the meeting--which was officially titled "Unrigging the Economy: A Conversation with Congressman Lloyd Smucker"--Jonathan listed the questions he would have asked Rep. Smucker if he had been allowed to stay.
"Are you, Rep. Smucker, consciously a mercenary for billionaires who are working to undermine our democracy and weaken the middle class?" Jonathan wrote. "Are you consciously a mercenary because that's what it takes to get the campaign contributions you think you need to stay in office?"
After the meeting ended, Rep. Smucker tweeted that he "participated in a vibrant discussion this morning in Lancaster on the impacts of tax reform."
He did not address Jonathan's questions.
During an RSVP-only meeting on "tax reform" organized by the Koch brothers-backed group Americans for Prosperity Wednesday morning, activist and author Jonathan Smucker demanded to know how much Pennsylvania Rep. Lloyd Smucker (no relation) has received in campaign contributions from Charles and David Koch.
Jonathan was quickly ejected from the event--but he caught part of it on video.
"This is my representative, and I want to know how much the Koch brothers are getting in tax cuts and how much they're contributing to your campaign," Jonathan said. "It's a fair question. We have a right...to get answers from you. You've been avoiding us and meeting with these private groups. And we want to know how much money they're getting in benefits from this [tax] bill."
Watch:
Jonathan was referring to the $1.5 trillion tax bill President Donald Trump signed into law last December. According to an analysis by Americans for Tax Fairness published last month, the Koch brothers "could save between $1 billion and $1.4 billion combined in income taxes each year" thanks to the new law.
Rep. Smucker voted for the bill and enthusiastically celebrated its passage.
In a Twitter thread following the meeting--which was officially titled "Unrigging the Economy: A Conversation with Congressman Lloyd Smucker"--Jonathan listed the questions he would have asked Rep. Smucker if he had been allowed to stay.
"Are you, Rep. Smucker, consciously a mercenary for billionaires who are working to undermine our democracy and weaken the middle class?" Jonathan wrote. "Are you consciously a mercenary because that's what it takes to get the campaign contributions you think you need to stay in office?"
After the meeting ended, Rep. Smucker tweeted that he "participated in a vibrant discussion this morning in Lancaster on the impacts of tax reform."
He did not address Jonathan's questions.