Kanjorski wants to avoid 'nuts' at town halls as lawmakers leave for recess

A Democratic lawmaker said Thursday he does not want to encounter any "nuts" at town hall meetings with constituents.

Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) made his comments as lawmakers are heading home for the July 4 recess. TimesLeader.com reported: 

On Thursday, while appearing as a guest on WILK Radio’s “Webster and Nancy Show,” Kanjorski was asked if he was going to hold any public town hall meetings with his constituents.

“We will do everything we can to meet with people, but I’m not going to set myself up for, you know, nuts to hit me with a camera.”

He said often times “people can’t resist changing what you said or taking things out of context.” He said these “snippets” lead to “distortions.”

“I’m not going to arm my opponent with a baseball bat,” Kanjorski said later in the interview.

Kanjorski appeared to reference last August's healthcare town hall meetings, which featured many heated exchanges between congressmen and attendees. 

Recently, he said at a committee hearing that certain government benefits go to good people, not "minorities" or "defective" people. The Pennsylvania Democrat has also been caught making controversial comments on tracker video several times.

Kanjorksi faces a tough reelection contest with Hazleton, Pa., Mayor Lou Barletta (R): 

“Paul Kanjorski has been in Congress for 26 years and his response to our region’s 10 percent unemployment rate is to call his constituents ‘nuts’ and to attack the city of Hazleton,” Barletta said. “Do these so-called ‘nuts’ who attend town meetings fall into Kanjorski’s ‘defective people’ category?”

Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski’s campaign spokesman, fired back, saying the congressman stands by his comments made on WILK, “including the ones about Barletta’s sorry record as mayor.”

(H/T Hot Air)