Lawler continues media ban: Journalists kept from Congressional Town Hall in Westchester
U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler continued his Congressional Town Hall press ban on Sunday, prohibiting a Journal News/lohud photographer and News12 television camera crew from documenting the public event, held at Westlake High School in Thornwood.
I was allowed to attend as a constituent in Lawler’s 17th Congressional District, but not as a member of the press. Attendees were threatened with expulsion if they recorded Lawler’s exchanges with his constituents or took pictures during the event.
The press ban, which Common Cause NY’s executive director called a violation of the spirit of the First Amendment, was in place for Lawler’s fourth Town Hall meeting this year. Lawler is among 18 House Republicans who won elections in 2022 in districts where President Joe Biden had bested Donald Trump in 2020.
The district includes Putnam and Rockland counties, Westchester north of White Plains, and a sliver of southern Dutchess County.
“Our policy regarding cameras is our policy regarding cameras,” said Lawler press spokesperson Nate Soule. “That’s whether it is you or News 12 or anyone else."
More: Mike Lawler loves cable TV, but his rocky relationship with the local press draws scrutiny
No comment from spokesperson
Lawler’s staff at the entrance allowed me to enter because I lived in the district. But Soule requested that I not write about what I heard at the public meeting, even though he figured I'd do so.
“It says here we're asking you to keep it off the record, but I can’t stop you from writing about it,” he said.
Why did Lawler have such a policy? I asked.
“If you want that question answered, you can email me about it,” Soule said.
I reminded Soule that an email to him requesting an answer to that question, written on Dec. 1, remains unanswered. Another question also remains unanswered, regarding Lawler’s letter to Reuters CEO Paul Bascobert about an already debunked allegation suggesting the news outlet had collaborated with Hamas.
Lawler, who appears often on national cable television news shows, insisted he had great rapport with the press corps.
“I have done more interviews than any member of the New York delegation, period,” said Lawler. “It’s not even close. So for any reporter to suggest that I’m not available or don’t avail myself for a question is a joke. It’s a joke.”
More: Here's what Rep. Mike Lawler said at sold-out Rockland Town Hall
Lawler: Media ban limits 'grandstanding'
Margaret Yonco-Haines, a Cold Spring progressive activist and member of the grassroots group, Take17, questioned Lawler’s media policy at Sunday's Town Hall, which was attended by about 100.
“Many of us were astonished that you would not let the press cover this public meeting, financed by taxpayers, in a publically funded location, so that people can find out what happens at these meetings,” she said. “Why is this meeting not allowed to be covered by the press?”
Lawler said the press ban was a way to limit media exposure for his critics, whose opposition to his policies might gain traction in a forthcoming media report.
“This is actually about engaging in conversation,” said Lawler. “It’s not about people grandstanding in front of reporters, not about having snippets taken out of context or mischaracterized, as has often been the case by the person sitting behind you.”
That person happened to be yours truly, the lohud Tax Watch columnist, who had reported on Lawler's Nov. 19 Town Hall at Rockland Community College, after I'd walked into the public event with a friend's ticket that no one checked.
That report touched on a wide range of issues: Lawler’s support for new House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Israel-Hamas war, the $10,000 cap on the deductibility of state and local taxes on your federal taxes, and the future of Social Security. I'd also delved into Lawler's vote in the fall for a continuing resolution that cut federal discretionary spending by 30%, slashed aid to Israel by close to $1 billion, and reduced funding for federal law enforcement.
Isn't tax credit question reasonable?
Lawler, however, told the audience that my coverage of the Rockland Town Hall focused solely on his support of a federal “education investment tax credit.” That plan would deliver a tax break to the parents of private school students by allowing them to deduct tuition payments to private elementary and secondary schools from federal income taxes.
That proposal is popular in Rockland's Jewish community, with its tens of thousands of private school students, which had strong representation at the Rockland Town Hall.
“It was literally one sentence that was the basis of the story, and that’s the point,” said Lawler. “There was so many topics covered over two hours, but that’s the one little snippet that he wanted to cover. Why? It makes no sense. But that’s what he wanted to cover.”
In early December, I followed up on the Town Hall. I’d emailed Soule, asking if there was a bill pending in Congress to enact Lawler’s tax breaks for private school parents and whether there was an estimate on the tax break’s cost to the U.S. Treasury.
It seems like an reasonable question for Lawler, who rails regularly about the spiraling federal deficit.,
Soule never responded.
As Lawler walked from the event, I asked him if he had any details on the educational investment tax credit legislation. He turned his back, wished me well, and walked away to a waiting car.
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David McKay Wilson writes about tax issues and government accountability. Follow him on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email him at dwilson3@lohud.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Lawler press ban continues at Congressional Town Hall in Westchester
