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| Senator Orrin Hatch |
If you reach out to your senator, police might be looking for you.
Police were called after a woman asked to meet with her Senator to discuss some issues.
Elise Lazar said she was questioned by the police after she called the office of U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, to ask whether the senator would be in town during spring break.
Lazar called the Salt Lake City office of Senator Hatch, R-Utah, to ask if he would be in town during spring break, and if there was going to be any council meetings.
Lazar told the senator’s clerk that she and friends want to discuss issues with Hatch, but was reluctant to reveal the problems, not wanting Hatch to refuse a meeting.
The group wanted to express their opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline project, according to reports. According to Lazar, the clerk said Hatch would be too busy to meet them.
“Senators are public servants, they are elected by the people to serve the people. It is surprising that they would go to the police and file a complaint against a constituent who did nothing more than try to speak to the senator about a legitimate issue,” Jason Pembroke, 40, from Washington D.C. told YourJewishNews.com.
The woman subsequently received a phone call from the U.S. Capitol Police in Washington. She was told that the office of Hatch filed a complaint against her as they felt she could be a suspicious person looking to harm the senator.
The senator’s spokesperson, Heather Barney, said that the clerk was concerned about the lack of Lazar’s clarity on the purpose of her call as she repeatedly asked about senator Hatch’s "comings and goings."