Rep. Derrick Van Orden In Washington D.C - Photo by New York Times
STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) – Wisconsin Congressman Derrick Van Orden has announced that an upcoming town hall and his votes on Capitol Hill on Wednesday will be postponed after a threat was made against his family.
According to a post on his Facebook page, Rep. Van Orden’s office in Washington, D.C., received a letter earlier this week that included credible threats against “his wife, children, and grandchildren,” which has been turned over to law enforcement.
In a press release, the congressman said that regardless of party, threats of violence shouldn’t be tolerated, saying, “No elected official, regardless of political party affiliation, should have to worry about the safety of their family while serving the American people. Threats of political violence are not just dangerous — they are anti-American,” and “The Congressman looks forward to returning to D.C. to do the job the people of Wisconsin’s Third District elected him to do.”
Law enforcement officials are yet to make an official statement on the matter, and it remains unclear if Rep. Van Orden, who won a second term in office this past November against Democratic businesswoman Rebecca Cooke, will return to voting on federal legislation this week.
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