Michael Stark, a real estate agent from Camdenton, Mo., said he listened in on a tele-town hall Wednesday night conducted by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth.

A Democrat, Stark said he questioned whether they were a good use of tax dollars and was upset when Luetkemeyer did not push back on “crazy” questions from some callers, such as whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions would prosecute Hillary Clinton. That was a reference to Clinton’s use of a personal email account while she was secretary of state.

“I do think they should do them in person,” Stark said. “The thing about the phone calls are not only are they obnoxious, they lack any ‘personalness’ at all. To me the town halls on the phone seem phony, they seem staged.”

Luetkemeyer spokeswoman Kristina Weger said that “listening to and responding to his constituents are top priorities for the congressman.”

She said Luetkemeyer had had more than 1,000 meetings in his district over his eight years in Congress and “takes live questions on radio shows that air throughout central and eastern Missouri every month.” She said Luetkemeyer’s offices responded to more than 5,000 constituent queries in January.