Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) was seen taking refuge on the roof of his office building in Vista, California, Tuesday, taking photos of angry constituents who had gathered below to protest the congressman’s voting record. The incident comes before a much-anticipated town hall meeting this Saturday at San Juan Hills High School, where the nine-term congressman is expected to face a hostile crowd because of his support for various Trump administration policies, including the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Democrat Mike Levin, an environmental lawyer who recently announced his bid to challenge Issa in 2018, shared an image of the congressman appearing to avoid demonstrators on social media, where it was roundly mocked.
Yes, this is really @DarrellIssa on the roof of his district office building. Too afraid to come speak with assembled constituents below. pic.twitter.com/wCYRjO8Ev8
— Mike Levin (@MikeLevinCA) May 30, 2017
Others saw his retreating to a rooftop as reminiscent of Michael Scott, Steve Carrell’s character in The Office who memorably took to the roof in the episode titled “Safety Training.”
Sean Spicer: I hid in the bushes to avoid people! No one can top that!
Darrell Issa: Hold my beer. https://t.co/txY2wpKBKI
— Lily Herman (@lkherman) May 30, 2017
@MikeLevinCA @DarrellIssa You have to treat him like Michael Scott and tell him you have a present for him if he comes down. pic.twitter.com/SBkznuHDZ1
— JeremiahOrtega (@jortega8) May 30, 2017
Issa, on the other hand, described his trip to the roof a bit differently. Shortly after the criticism, he took to Twitter to offer this narrative. We recommend zooming in to take a closer look at the signs:
Spent the morning talking with constituents gathered outside the office today, then popped upstairs to take a quick pic! pic.twitter.com/K2CFdenOIj
— Darrell Issa (@DarrellIssa) May 30, 2017
For more on Levin and the fight to defeat Issa, the richest man in Congress, head to our profile here.