The baffling trend of Democrat staffers physically interfering with individuals asking political candidates questions continues as a male staffer for Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti’s campaign prevented his boss from fielding questions about her attending out-of-state fundraisers instead of running the city.
WATCH: Staffer for Democrat Mayor Paige Cognetti (PA-08) attempts to block questions as she’s asked why she’s attending out-of-state fundraisers instead of focusing on her mayoral duties: pic.twitter.com/kmWQBLizi8
— Congressional Leadership Fund (@CLFSuperPAC) June 15, 2026
The staffer apparently thought that the charade was a necessary duty, as he remarked that “politics could be fun” while ensuring that Cognetti could not be held accountable for her actions.
“Howdy Madame Mayor,” the questioner said while attempting to maneuver around the human roadblock. “Why are you running around the country…going to donors…while knife-wielding run around the city endangering Scrantonians?”
A second question posed to Cognetti asked whether or not she would ever release a public schedule to explain what work she’s doing to benefit the people of Scranton. Again, the staffer blocked the questioner and the question likewise went unanswered.
The question posed to Cognetti was in reference to her fleeing the city to attend a liberal-elite fundraiser in Chicago while two deranged criminals threatened Scranton citizens with a knife and firearm. Law enforcement officers were required to hold one individual at gun point before a chase ensued. As if abandoning the department wasn’t enough, Cognetti has previously expressed her desire for Scranton police to be disarmed.
Cognetti’s campaign isn’t the only one to sic staffers on concerned citizens. Countless Democrat campaigns from around the country have adopted the method as a means to prevent their candidates from having to respond to the difficult questions that members of the mainstream media refuse to ask.
Cognetti has a seemingly even greater aversion to the public than most Democrats, however. Video resurfaced by Townhall in March showed that the public official had threatened to use Scranton police to break up public Easter celebrations in 2020 despite a religious exemption to the stay-at-home order.
SCOOP: On Good Friday in 2020, Paige Cognetti, Scranton mayor and a 2026 Democrat candidate for PA-08, threatened to have police break up in-person services for Easter churchgoers during a virtual town hall despite a state-wide religious exemption for the stay-at-home order. pic.twitter.com/YVEVxys1rx
— Joe Chalfant (@JoeChalfant) March 17, 2026
These incidents may be leaving some PA-08 residents wondering what else Cognetti might do should she acquire even more political power.