One year ago today, a violent far-right mob incited by former President Trump and House Republicans’ “Big Lie” stormed our Capitol in an attempt to overturn a free and fair American election. Derrick Van Orden’s participation in the deadly assault on our democracy can never be forgotten.
Despite his lies trying to cover up his involvement, investigative reports have found that Derrick Van Orden was in a restricted area of Capitol grounds while a riot broke out which cost the lives of five people and injured 140 officers.
Van Orden also appeared to illegally use campaign funds as a personal slush fund to bankroll his trip to the insurrection – raising ethical concerns from multiple nonpartisan government watchdog groups including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Common Cause Wisconsin.
Leading up to the insurrection, Van Orden spent months baselessly and dangerously casting doubt on the results of his own election and propagating the “Big Lie” that the election was stolen.
“On one of the darkest days in our nation’s history, Derrick Van Orden sided with insurrectionists and participated in a deadly attack on our democracy, as he joined in from a restricted part of Capitol grounds while the riot erupted. Van Orden is a threat to our democracy, and he has no business representing Western Wisconsin in Congress,” said DCCC spokesperson Elena Kuhn.
Read more below:
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Daily Beast: GOP Candidate Bankrolled Jan. 6 Riot Trip With Campaign Cash
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: GOP congressional candidate used campaign cash to attend Trump D.C. rally, Democrats allege in FEC complaint
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La Crosse Tribune: Wisconsin Dems file FEC complaint against Van Orden for travel expenses during insurrection
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WKBT: Democratic Party accuses Van Orden of misusing campaign funds in FEC complaint
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Telegraph Herald: Dems file federal complaint against Van Orden over D.C. trip
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Business Insider: A GOP candidate used leftover cash from his failed congressional campaign to pay for a trip to the Capitol riot, report says