Veteran Who Ripped GOP Rep At Town Hall Defends ‘Necessary’ Act: They ‘Aren’t Serving Us’

Veteran Who Ripped GOP Rep At Town Hall Defends ‘Necessary’ Act: They ‘Aren’t Serving Us’
By Henry Griffiths on March 15, 2025

U.S. Army veteran Jay Carey — who went viral for telling Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) he didn’t give a “fuck” about him — defended hurling expletives at a fiery town hall event in North Carolina this week.

“I think it was necessary,” said Carey, a Democrat who served in the military for over two decades, in an interview shared by Asheville Watchdog on Friday.

“I think it was the only way to really get his attention, and it was the energy that I want to see from everyone — to stand up and to speak back to the representatives that aren’t serving us, as is their duty.”

Carey — who ran for Edwards’ congressional seat and lost in the Democratic primary in 2022 — shouted “do your job,” “you’re lying” and “fuck you” at Edwards among a sea of his constituents outraged over their representative’s support for cuts under President Donald Trump.

The veteran drew applause as he was escorted out of the auditorium and his remarks later went viral, garnering tens of thousands of likes and views on social media.

The event was one of a number of contentious town halls where constituents have pushed back at Republicans in recent weeks.

pic.twitter.com/F9Hg6NiElf

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 13, 2025

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I’m a veteran and you don’t give a fuck about me” pic.twitter.com/F9Hg6NiElf— Acyn (@Acyn) March 13, 2025nnn","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":1080,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/1900315416582369281/img/RVV_ECvRU5JnVqjT.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1920,"title":"Acyn on Twitter / 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A person is removed from the Chuck Edwards town hall

“Do your job that you were sent there to do… to represent us all. I’m a veteran and you don’t give a fuck about me” pic.twitter.com/F9Hg6NiElf

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 13, 2025

Edwards — when later asked how he justifies cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs— claimed there haven’t been cuts to VA staff and stressed that it’s not the “intent” of Trump, Congress or Elon Musk to eliminate jobs that directly provide services to veterans.

In February, the VA fired over 1,000 probationary workers at the department.

The Trump administration also plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs at the VA, where veterans make up 25% of the workforce, per an internal memo detailed by The Associated Press last week.

On Friday, about 3,000 people protested the cuts— which have also impacted veterans working in other parts of the federal government — in Washington, D.C. as they questioned why the president is “abandoning his commitment” to veterans, military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported.

Carey told the Asheville Watchdog that he doesn’t regret his choice of words for Edwards.

“I do feel that the days of being cordial and respectful are over, because we’re not being respected,” Carey said.

“He’s disrespecting us by doing what he’s doing to our community as a whole.”

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