North Dakota man shoves money at congressman during town hall

Two men were escorted from a North Dakota town hall for Republican Representative Kevin Cramer following a heated confrontation with the lawmaker.

The incident took place Thursday afternoon in Mandan when Cramer faced a hostile crowd during a question and answer session that largely focused on his support for the American Health Care Act, reports The Bismarck Tribune.

Video from the event, that later went viral, showed one Mike Quinn, a resident of Hazen, a city in Mercer County in North Dakota, angrily approach the congressman and shove a wad of bills into his shirt collar.

 “If the health care is destroyed, do the rich get a tax break? Yes or no?” Quinn asked as he approached Cramer.

“Of course not,” the congressman replied.

“There ya go,” Quinn said as he tried putting money into Cramer’s collar.

Grabbing the money, Cramer said, “OK, buddy, that is too far.”

Quinn was quickly escorted out of the event but was not arrested, reports The Bismarck Tribune.

Another man, apparently a supporter of the congressman, rose from his seat and put his hands around Quinn’s throat while he was approaching Cramer. He was also escorted from the town hall but was not arrested.

Terming the Mandan town hall as one of the toughest crowds he’s faced during his time in office, Cramer later said he does not blame people for their anger or anxiety.

“I don’t have to agree with them, but I still have an obligation to listen to them,” he told a local ABC affiliate.

Quinn later told The Bismarck Tribune that he thinks the Republican health care bill is a large tax giveaway for the wealthy, adding that he became increasingly frustrated as Cramer dodged constituents’ questions.

“It was spur of the moment. I was just so mad. I just kept getting angrier and angrier,” Quinn said.