DENVER – Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, like many of his colleagues, didn’t hold a public town hall-style meeting during the recent congressional recess. Instead, his office put together a conference phone call, in which the senator fielded questions from constituents.

The first question was about Russia’s interference in the election.

Gardner says he supports a permanent “cyber committee” to investigate because, “It is unacceptable that the Russians interfered in our elections – and we know for sure they did.”

Despite that, and the often divisive and caustic tone of the 2016 presidential election campaign, he insisted there’s a “remarkable opportunity in front of us to come together as a country.”

Here are some of his responses on other issues.

On voting for Trump’s cabinet picks:

“It’s important the president has people around him that he wants.” He added that he voted for Loretta Lynch when she was nominated by President Obama as Attorney General, and said he would have voted for Clinton nominees had she been elected because, “elections have consequences.”

On whether he backs Colorado’s billion-dollar-a-year marijuana industry:

“I’ve done a great deal to stand up for pot industry ... once people supported it. Colorado finds itself in the heart of a democracy laboratory,” Gardner said, adding that the new U.S. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, told him the tension between federal enforcement of marijuana laws and states that have legalized cannabis was not a priority for his office.

The president’s spokesman, Sean Spicer, has made remarks that contradict that, and Gardner says he’s seeking White House clarification.

On Americans who may be left with no health insurance if Trump and the Republicans scrap Obamacare as promised:

Gardner said he believes that just because we have the program, “it doesn’t mean we can’t do better.”

“I hear from people concerned about pre-existing conditions. It’s near and dear to my heart. My mom survived breast cancer. My father has been in and out of hospital. These are things we need to get right. I haven’t heard anyone say we’re going to get rid of pre-existing condition coverage.”

On protecting communities from abandoned mine waste:

Gardner says he supports a proposed “good Samaritan” law that would allow going into old mines, many in Colorado, to clean up and eliminate seepage into waterways.

No one asked Gardner why he hadn’t held a public town hall recently. Two callers thanked him for at least being on the phone. Other callers said they weren’t “paid protesters,” an apparent reference to Gardner’s dismissal of political demonstrations outside his offices around the state.

The senator said his next appointment was a meeting with the president. The conference call lasted about 45 minutes.

This content is shared with our readers under a content-sharing agreement between the The Durango Herald and Colorado Public Radio. To listen to highlights from Sen. Cory Gardner’s conference call with constituents, go to cpr.org.