WASHINGTON – On this the second anniversary of the failed 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Derrick Van Orden was back and sworn in as a member of Congress. This time he was in suit and tie. Two years ago — on January 6 — he was in camouflage gear with the invading horde of insurrectionists – although he lied about it. He said after the riot that, yes, he had been at the Trump rally outside the White House before the attack on the Capitol, but, no, he said, he left for home in Wisconsin before the rioters marched to Capitol Hill. Less than a week later a photo emerged of Van Orden on he Capitol grounds, smack dab in the presence of the insurrection. He never explained the inconsistency — and was elected this November to Congress 52% to 48%. from Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District. Last weekend there were shades of 2020 in his arrival this time in Washington. He buzzed the Hill on his Harley. For the camera he grinned.
2021: January
Deja vu. The Capitol seems like a magnet for new Congress member Derrick Van Orden from western Wisconsin. An election-denier and Trump enthusiast, he was there with the rioters in 2021. Back now on his Harley hog.
2023: January