US Senator Cory Gardner’s has been heckled at a speech addressing healthcare at a conservative conference in Denver.
At least two protesters chanted “No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty!” as the GOP Senator from Colorado addressed the packed house of high-profile Republicans on Friday on the first day of the Western Conservative Summit.
The protesters were handcuffed and escorted out of the summit.
The removal of the protesters happened roughly 20 minutes after Gardner took the stage at the Colorado Convention Center.
Police said there were no formal arrests and the protesters had been released.
The protesters told local media they were members of the Democratic Socialists of America group who had rallied outside Gardner’s Denver office on July 6 as part of a national movement to urge GOP lawmakers to vote no on the Senate health care bill.
Gardner, who received five subpoenas on Friday ordering him to appear in court in the cases of five protesters who were arrested and cited on trespassing charges during a sit-in at his office, has been among the most under-pressure Senate Republicans regarding the GOP’s attempts to repeal and/or replace former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare bill, the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
A recent poll shows that the majority of Americans oppose the proposals.
The Washington Post/ABC News poll, shows 50 percent prefer Obamacare while only 24 percent prefer the GOP health plan, also called Trumpcare.