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In case you missed it, a slew of new reports have revealed failed candidate Derrick Van Orden’s involvement in the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Van Orden has tried to cover up his attendance at the January 6th insurrection, but investigative reports have confirmed Van Orden was “in a restricted area of Capitol grounds while the mob of Trump supporters were storming and entering the building.”
His involvement in the deadly riot, which also includes bankrolling the trip with campaign funds, has been criticized by multiple nonpartisan government watchdog groups including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Common Cause Wisconsin.
And even when pressed by local media, Van Orden has only offered empty excuses, “refusing to go into more detail” or dispute any aspects of the report as false.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Daily Beast: GOP Candidate Bankrolled Jan. 6 Riot Trip With Campaign Cash
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Two months after Republican congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden lost his 2020 race, he joined “stop the steal” rioters on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol—and he paid for the trip with donor money left over from his failed campaign.
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Now Van Orden is running again, and has already scored major endorsements from senior GOP House leadership, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
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Van Orden, a former Navy SEAL and small-time actor, has previously acknowledged attending the Jan. 6 rally, but has repeatedly claimed he never entered the Capitol grounds. However, social media posts from the riot suggest that isn’t true.
La Crosse Tribune: Van Orden says new report on his attendance at Jan. 6 insurrection ‘inaccurate’
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At a Monday farm event, Republican congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden responded to a recent report stating he used campaign funds to attend the Jan. 6 insurrection and was on Capitol grounds during the attack, saying it was “inaccurate,” but refusing to go into more detail.
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Over the weekend, The Daily Beast reported that Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, used funds from his previous campaign for office to travel to Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 6 event, and that social media posts show he was on the grounds during the riot, contradicting previous statements.
Wisconsin Public Radio: GOP Congressional Candidate: Report Of Involvement In Insurrection Is ‘Inaccurate’
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Van Orden’s April finance report from the Federal Election Commission show several travel-related charges during the first week in January, including two charges for a hotel in Washington totaling around $1,125.
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Van Orden’s campaign didn’t return a request for comment regarding the purpose of these disbursements.
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Jay Heck, executive director of government watchdog group Common Cause Wisconsin, said candidates routinely use campaign funds for travel to meet with party officials or political consultants. But if Van Orden traveled to Washington specifically to participate in the Jan. 6 rally-turned-riot, Heck said the congressional candidate could have “some real explaining to do.”
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“It could be that maybe some of his campaign contributors are perfectly happy with the use of that money,” Heck said. “But generally speaking, the Federal Elections Commission says it has to be for a ‘political purpose’ and that would usually be for your own election.”
Business Insider: A GOP candidate used leftover cash from his failed congressional campaign to pay for a trip to the Capitol riot, report says
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A Republican congressional candidate from Wisconsin, who lost his 2020 race, allegedly used his leftover donor money to pay for a trip to the Capitol building on January 6, according to a Daily Beast report.
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