PamplinMedia – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden is ready for war on Capitol Hill.
On the last leg of an eight-day, 11-city tour, Wyden told his constituents that “this is going to be a battle for Oregon values every single day” of the Trump Administration.
The crowd — combative itself at moments — hollered, stamped its feet and rose in applause many times during the town hall, Wyden’s 800th since he first became a senator in 1996.
Speaking without notes, the 67-year-old Democrat responded to questions for over three hours during the event, which took place at noon on Saturday, Feb. 25 at David Douglas High School in Portland. A police officer estimated the size of the crowd at 3,500.
“I am not going to give an inch on getting an independent, impartial investigation on Russia,” Wyden promised, referring to his spot on the Senate Intelligence Committee. “And I want you to know I will not give an inch in the effort to make sure we do not repeal or hollow out the Affordable Care Act.”
There’s little doubt Wyden is currently riding high, boosted by the wave of liberal outrage that has buoyed opposition politicians across the country. He received laudatory coverage for pressing Trump on Russia in a recent front-page story in Willamette Week, a lefty newspaper that usually takes a dim view of everything.
At the event, Wyden himself said he was a member of the “Whistleblower Caucus,” and encouraged those with government jobs to continue revealing official misconduct to journalists and the public.
