Protesters demand Gowdy hold in-person town hall

About 20 protesters demanded Friday afternoon that U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy meet with constituents in a face-to-face town hall.

The group gathered near the Montgomery Building to protest the lack of an in-person meeting with Gowdy, as well as policies implemented by President Donald Trump and Trump's alleged ties to Russia.

"As a public servant, (Gowdy) is obligated to look into that," said Tony Taylor, who helped organize the event. "It's about putting country before party, which is something everyone should be doing right now. If there's nothing to be found, an independent investigation would reveal that."

Earlier this week, members of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, of which Gowdy is a member, set boundaries for an investigation into alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections, said Amanda Gonzalez, communications director for Gowdy's office.

Russian cyber activity against the U.S., contact between Russian officials and specific campaigns, the U.S. response and possible leaks of classified information will all be looked into, according to CNN.

Though no in-person town hall event is currently scheduled, Gowdy and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott will hold a telephone town hall with constituents at 5:30 p.m. on March 22, Gonzalez said.

Sally Chase, 66, from Landrum, carried a sign with the message, "I will not go quietly into the 1950s."

A retired school teacher, Chase said she is worried that Trump "has no respect for women whatsoever."

"I'm sort of tired of that feeling that women are second-class citizens," she said. "I grew up in the '50s, I remember what that was like."

Taylor said he is skeptical of the telephone town hall Gowdy and Scott have planned. He said Gowdy still needs to meet with voters.

"He can more or less avoid (us), he can pick and choose the issues he wants to confront (over the phone)," he said. "We think he should have a town hall and meet with his constituents."

Gonzalez said in an email that in addition to the March 22 event, Gowdy holds monthly meetings with constituents at either his office in Greenville or Spartanburg.

The "Fourth in Focus" discussions are typically small group or one-on-one meetings with constituents Gowdy has held since his first term in Congress, she said.

"Studies have shown one-on-one meetings with legislators are the best way to communicate, and vastly outperform town halls. This is one of the many reasons Rep. Gowdy looks forward to sitting down with his constituents and hearing their concerns face to face," she said in an email.

Both Chase and Jeff Hoyt, a Spartanburg resident, agreed Friday's event was a chance to convey to Gowdy that people living in his district have concerns about some of his positions and about the Trump administration.

"I know it's not a big number (out here), but he'll hear, 'there were people out there,'" Hoyt said.

"There are more than two or three people who want answers from him," Chase added.

This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 8:10 PM with the headline "Protesters demand Gowdy hold in-person town hall."