WASHINGTON – Western Wisconsin’s representative in Congress, Derrick Van Orden, said he has avoided townhall meetings as a vehicle to stay in touch with constituents because they’re booby trapped. About skipping a townhall with 400 people in Viroqua, Van Orden said it was rigged with disrupters. “Several different George Soros-funded agitator groups have spontaneously popped up around the country and are disrupting Republicans in town halls,” Van Orden said. “About 218-plus Republicans that have been trying to hold town halls to speak to their constituents and they’re being actively disrupted by these people that are being paid by George Soros.” Soros is a wealthy long-term donor to Democratic candidates and someone whom Republicans love to demonize. Van Orden, however, offered no evidence to support his claim that Soros has set up any Wisconsin townhalls with agitators. The organizer of the Viroqua townhall, Tanja Birke, said Van Orden was lying: “I’m not, I’ve never been paid to agitate or activate.” Meanwhile, Van Oden limits his WI-3 appearances to small and carefully culled friendly groups.