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Dear Chairman Steil,
I am writing to you regarding the incident that took place on the evening of July 26 and early morning hours of July 27, 2023, in which Representative Derrick Van Orden (WI-03) accosted a group of high school-age Senate pages in the Capitol Rotunda and behaved in a physically and verbally aggressive manner toward the teenagers. Today is the one-year anniversary of the day I was permitted to review the security footage from that evening, and I am reminded of how disturbed I was by Van Orden's behavior. I continue to believe that Van Orden's constituents deserve to know the truth about the man who represents them. Once again, I call on you to release this footage to provide much-needed transparency into this incident. To protect their right to privacy, I request that you blur the faces of the Senate pages involved.
As you are no doubt aware, initial reports of the incident stated that the Senate pages were in the Rotunda that evening to take pictures during their last week at the Capitol, and while there, some of the teenagers positioned themselves and their camera on the floor in order to capture a photo of the interior of the historic Capitol dome. The vast reporting stated that when Van Orden came across the teenagers, who spent their summer providing vital support to daily operations at the Capitol, he "became enraged" and swore at the pages, calling them "lazy s----" and telling them to "get the f--- up" off the floor.
When given the opportunity to apologize, Van Orden refused and claimed the pages were "defiling" the Capitol, an interesting choice of words for a man who stood shoulder to shoulder with insurrectionists outside the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Further reporting revealed that a witness to the incident described Van Orden's demeanor as "physically aggressive" toward the teenagers and that he was "screaming inches from the pages' faces."
After reviewing the footage exactly one year ago today, I found Van Orden's behavior entirely unbecoming of a member of Congress. Despite claiming that he acted out of great respect for the Capitol, he proudly and dramatically bowed to his group after berating the pages and following them as they tried to leave. These were not the serious actions of a dedicated public servant, but those of a man who enjoys abusing his privilege over others.
I stand by my initial reaction to this footage, and strongly believe that Van Orden's constituents should have the opportunity to witness his arrogant and threatening behavior toward a group of minors for themselves. As members of Congress, we are entitled to no more privilege than any other American when it comes to being held accountable for our actions. Van Orden's refusal to apologize or take any responsibility clearly demonstrates his belief that he is above those he is meant to serve.
Given your support for transparency, as demonstrated by your willingness to release thousands of hours of Capitol surveillance footage from the insurrection on January 6, 2021, I again call on you to immediately release the security footage from inside the Capitol Rotunda on the evening of July 26 and early morning hours of July 27, 2023. Again, I also request that you blur the faces of the pages in order to protect their privacy.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Mark Pocan
Member of Congress
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