BASKING RIDGE — Advertised as, “a town hall conversation with voters,” today’s event with former Secretary of State and U.S. Senator John Kerry and lifelong progressive Democrat Tom Malinowski in Basking Ridge was anything but.

During the one-hour scripted and staged campaign event, Malinowski weakly refused to take a single question from the audience.  Instead attendees were forced to listen to the droning back-and-forth of two liberals who together teamed up to push forward President Obama’s failed and feckless foreign policy.

“Today’s sham town hall meeting shows how out of touch Tom Malinowski is with 7th District voters.  Instead of engaging the electorate with his liberal policy partner John Kerry, Malinowski chose to sit on stage like a potted plant.  What a charade,” said Lance for Congress campaign manager Jim Hilk.

Today was in stark contrast to Congressman Leonard Lance who has held more town hall meetings than any other member of the New Jersey congressional delegation.  Not afraid to face the voters and their questions, Lance has held 47 town hall meetings.

“How can we believe when Tom Malinowski boasts that he stood up to dictators when today he was too afraid to stand up and take questions from 7th District voters?” Hilk asked.