Rep. Derrick Van Orden.Photo:Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty
Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden reportedly screamed, cursed, and acted “physically aggressive” toward a group of teenaged Senate pages who were taking part in a long-held Capitol tradition last week.
NBC Newsreports that a group of summer pages were lying in the Capitol rotunda during their final week on the job and taking photos of the dome above them when the incident with Van Orden allegedly took place.
That’s when the 53-year-old Wisconsin lawmaker saw the group and allegedly told them to “get the f— out” of the rotunda, a source told the outlet.
Per the source, the Republican was “screaming inches from the pages’ faces," and called them “pieces of s—” and “jacka—-” multiple times.
“Wake the f— up you little s—s. What the f— are you all doing? Get the f— out of here. You are defiling the place,” Van Orden allegedly shouted.
In a statement to NBC News, Van Orden’s office did not dispute the report, but said, “The Capitol Rotunda served as a field hospital where countless Union soldiers died fighting to free men in the Civil War. I have long said our nation’s Capitol is a symbol of the sacrifice our servicemen and women have made for this country and should never be treated like a frat house common room. Threatening a congressman with bad press to excuse poor behavior is a reminder of everything that’s wrong with Washington.”
Prior to taking office, Van Orden himself was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 riots, when a mob of Trump supporters took over the building, causing millions of dollars of damage and forcing the evacuation of lawmakers on either side of the political aisle. Van Orden has denied reports that he entered the Capitol itself that day.
In response to the reports about Van Orden, Democrat Chuck Schumer said he was “shocked at [Van Orden’s] refusal to apologize to these young people”
“They’re here when we need them,” Schumer added while speaking to reporters last week. “And they have served this institution with grace.”
Speaking to reporters, Republican Mitch McConnell said, “Everybody on this side of the aisle feels exactly the same way,”The Guardianreports.
As a Congressional candidate, van Orden made headlines when he allegedly confronted a teenage library worker over a book display marking Pride Month.
“His voice was loud, he was aggressive, he had his finger jabbing into (the book) constantly,” Kerrigan Trautsch told theLa Crosse Tribuneabout the June 2021 incident. Trautsch was 17 at the time of the incident.
Library director Nancy Ashmore told PEOPLE at the time that Van Orden came to the library three times that day – the first time he complained about the Pride book display, the second time he got a library card and checked out most of the books, and the third time he returned the books.
“He’s one of several people who complained, but because he’s a politician, he got the most attention,” Ashmore said. “He was upset when he came in the first time. When he came back later in the day, he was much more reasonable and calm.”
source: people.com
