Crow answers questions on impeachment, abortion
In his first town hall meeting since prosecuting President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Jason Crow defended his work in the impeachment trial, then moved beyond the contentious topic to talk about an array of kitchen table issues.
The freshman Democrat from Aurora spoke to 150 people Monday night at an auditorium in Aurora Central High School. After brief opening remarks, he heard about 45 minutes of questions on topics ranging from abortion to foreign policy, climate change, immigration and health care.
The crowd was predominantly friendly, giving Crow a standing ovation when the event concluded, but unafraid to ask tough questions and demand answers from their congressman. A woman in a proTrump hat asked whether Crow supports the New Way Forward Act, a liberal immigration bill that would ban for-profit immigration detention facilities, among other major changes to existing law.
Crow said he was unfamiliar with the legislation but vowed to look into it. The congressman is a critic of a privately-operated immigration detention site in Aurora, and Monday night touted his POD Act, requiring immigration sites allow members of Congress to tour them. The POD Act, born out of Crow’s frustrations with the Aurora site, was attached to an appropriations bill and became law in December.
“Regardless of how you come down on the immigration debate, we can all agree government works better when there is transparency and oversight,” Crow said.
Some constituents who asked questions of Crow have asked other questions recently. The congressman said one woman, who asked about an anti-abortion bill, had done so 10 times. He promised to answer it the same way each time.
“I don’t believe government should get involved in health care decisions between a woman and her doctor,” Crow said.
A young man in a suit and tie asked Crow a question at an event Saturday and again Monday night, according to the congressman. His question Monday was whether congressional votes to limit a president’s war powers project weakness.
“No, I don’t believe that all,” said Crow, who served several combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning a Bronze Star. “In fact, I think that one of the greatest sources of strength in our country is the fact that we have a very active Congress.”
When one man maligned the evidence Crow and other impeachment managers used in the Trump trial, the congressman said he “disagreed sharply” with the man’s characterization. “The facts don’t show what you described,” Crow said.
Several Republicans hope to challenge Crow this November, led by former Colorado Republican Party chairman Steve House, the preference of national Republican leadership.