Nunn caught in 4k: lying to the camera before attacking it

Last Thursday, Representative Zach Nunn smacked an individual's phone after they asked a question about rural hospital closures, and lied about speaking with a constituent while he did it. 

The footage shows the moment Nunn was approached on Capitol Hill and asked about his previous assertion that hospital closures are a “myth.” Nunn claimed he was busy speaking with a "constituent." He was not. He was walking with a NOTUS reporter.

Nunn later offered a weak, half-apology for the interaction. He did not, however, apologize to the Iowans losing access to emergency rooms, maternity wards and family clinics in their own communities due to his votes in Congress. 

This isn't an isolated incident. It's how Zach Nunn has been his entire time in Congress.

When the cameras are off, and the questions get tough, Nunn disappears. He has refused to hold open, public town halls where Iowans can ask him directly about the issues hitting their families — hospital closures, the cost of living, health care and the chaos coming out of Washington.

Iowans shouldn't have to chase their congressman across Capitol Hill or hope to catch him in a hallway just to get an answer. They shouldn't have to rely on a passing camera just to hear what their own representative thinks about the hospitals closing in their towns.

But that's exactly what Nunn has chosen. He'd rather:

• Lash out physically than answer a question about rural hospitals.

• Lie about who he was with than admit he was unprepared to defend his own record.

• Hide from town halls than face the Iowans he is supposed to represent.

Robyn, a host home provider in Altoona, said Rep. Nunn's refusal to face Iowans has become impossible to ignore.

"I’ve lived in Iowa my whole life and I have never seen a congressman duck every single opportunity to hear from concerned constituents,” Robyn said. “You can't claim to represent Iowans if you won't sit in a room with us and answer the hard questions. Rep. Nunn swats at cameras, lies about who he's with, and runs home to avoid us — that's not leadership. It was disappointing to see him react so aggressively on impulse, we deserve leaders that can control their emotions. Physical violence has no place in our politics."