Republicans Hammer Democrat Chris Pappas for Keeping Taxpayer-Funded Office Closed

Republicans hammered vulnerable New Hampshire Democrat Rep. Chris Pappas for reportedly keeping his nearly $5,000 a month taxpayer-funded district office closed while campaigning.

Like many other congressional members, Pappas has campaigned and fundraised in recent weeks while keeping his office closed, according to a report from the Washington Free Beacon. The report indicated that Pappas recently held an indoor campaign event with New Hampshire Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan. The senator also has at least one of her offices closed “in an effort to continue to promote social distancing” due to the coronavirus.

The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a group that supports House Republicans and their policies, hammered the Democrat while questioning why his office is paying for a parking spot if his office is closed.

“Granite Staters deserve representatives that actually show up to work on their behalf,” said CLF Press Secretary Cally Perkins. “If Chris Pappas isn’t willing to do what he was elected to do then New Hampshire should send him home and elect someone who will.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) also attacked Pappas for not even pretending to work.

“Granite Staters are getting crushed by inflation, a border crisis, and surging crime and Chris Pappas can’t even show up to pretend he’s working for them,” said NRCC Spokeswoman Samantha Bullock.

Republican candidate Matt Mowers, who is looking to unseat the Democrat, released a lengthy statement calling on Pappas to “provide full transparency” on why his office is closed, while he is still voting in lockstep with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and President Joe Biden:

Career politician Chris Pappas has voted in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden, now Granite Staters are paying the price. While folks struggle to get by and are forced to drain their life savings to heat their homes and put food on the table, our representative can’t even be bothered to open his office to assist his constituents. Pappas continues to support the Biden-Pelosi agenda 100% of the time and is clearly out of touch with the needs of everyday Granite Staters.

I am calling on Congressman Pappas to provide full transparency on this matter by disclosing why his office is closed on a weekday afternoon and publishing his office hours online. In Congress, I’ll work tirelessly on behalf of New Hampshire’s middle-class families, not leave them out in the cold when they need me the most.

Pappas’s office spends roughly $5,000 a month in rent for his taxpayer-funded district offices, in addition to $255 a month for “district office parking,” according to Government spending disclosures. His office reportedly denied the allegations that his office was closed.

The Free Beacon’s source slammed his office, calling it a “blatant lie,” adding, “I rang the doorbell, hung out for three to four minutes, then took the video. … Why would the door be locked at 4:18 p.m. on a Tuesday if someone is there?”

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.