Aug. 5, 2017, 3:09 p.m.<\/p>\n
Over the shouts of a lone heckler at a packed Livermore town hall, Northern California Rep. Eric Swalwell on Saturday once more called for the creation of an independent commission to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election. <\/p>\n
If we do anything, we should make sure that the 2018 election is more secure than the 2016 election, Swalwellsaid, drawing a round of applause from the audience. <\/p>\n
Roughly 500 people filled the seats at a Granada High School gym, many of whomwere attending a town hall for the first time amid concerns over what they said they view asa tense and divisive political climate in Washington. The event was organized to address questions from constituents about jobs, healthcareand what Swalwellcalled efforts to protect democracy. <\/p>\n
It came daysafter special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIconvened a criminal grand jury to investigate the presidential election, focusing on Donald Trump Jr.s meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton. <\/p>\n
Questions over the Russia probeand GOP efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act dominated the discussion. <\/p>\n
Swalwell, a Democrat from Dublin who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, hasstarted a web page detailing the alleged Russian tiesof Trump administration officials. Hesaid Mueller's investigation did not eliminate the need for an independent commission. <\/p>\n
The congressman said there was no evidence Russian actors had changed votes. But intelligence reports had shown President Vladimir Putin influenced the election through \"a multifaceted attack\" that hesaid included hacked emails and the spread of fake news throughsocial media trolls. <\/p>\n
What we know the Russians did do is that they went into a number of state election voter databases, he said. We dont know why. You could speculate that they wanted to show that they could at least get in, and that it would sow discord or sow doubt when the result came out. <\/p>\n
The event waslargely free of the protests and rambunctious tactics that have overtaken recent townhalls in California. Oneman in the audience shouted questions at Swalwell as he spoke about Russian interference, yelling, \"Get over it. He won.\" But he was soon silenced by the audience. <\/p>\n
Swalwellalso fielded questions about his efforts to ease college debt and build the Future Forum, a group of young Democratic members of Congress focused on student loan debt and homeownership. <\/p>\n
On healthcare, Swalwell called for a \"Medicare for all\" system, saying lawmakers needed to continue to expand access and reduce costs. Constituents quizzed him on who would pay for such a plan.<\/p>\n
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Questions over Russia, healthcare dominate Rep. Eric Swalwell's town hall at Livermore high school - Los Angeles Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Aug. 5, 2017, 3:09 p.m. Over the shouts of a lone heckler at a packed Livermore town hall, Northern California Rep Continue reading