Derrick Van Orden speaks in Waukesha, Wis., on Aug. 5, 2022. The Republican congressman has refused to apologize for his outburst in Washington this week — insisting that he was defending the integrity of the Capitol Rotunda.

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Derrick Van Orden speaks in Waukesha, Wis., on Aug. 5, 2022. The Republican congressman has refused to apologize for his outburst in Washington this week — insisting that he was defending the integrity of the Capitol Rotunda.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a freshman Republican from Wisconsin, stated he was enraged after witnessing a bunch of excessive school-age Senate pages “defiling” the Capitol and treating the constructing like a “frat house common room.”

What had been the youngsters precisely doing? Briefly mendacity on the ground to snap photographs of the historic Rotunda dome.

On Wednesday night time, Senate pages, who assist help day-to-day operations on the Capitol, had been touring the Capitol as a part of their final week of service, Punchbowl News first reported. To seize a photograph of the ceiling, some pages positioned themselves and their digital camera on the ground. That’s when Van Orden walked in.

According to a transcript written by one of many pages and obtained by The Hill, Van Orden stated, “Wake the f‑‑‑ up you little s‑‑‑‑” and “Get the f‑‑‑ out of here. You are defiling the space.” He reportedly additionally referred to as the youngsters “jackasses” and “lazy s—-.”

Since the incident, the congressman has refused to apologize for his outburst — insisting that he was defending the integrity of the Capitol Rotunda.

“I have long said our nation’s Capitol is a symbol of the sacrifice our servicemen and women have made for this country and should never be treated like a frat house common room,” Van Orden stated in an announcement.

Maddy Pritzl, a former Senate web page, defended the youngsters and clarified that it was a years-long custom.

Senior members of Congress say the freshman wants a lesson on manners

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated he was disturbed by Van Orden’s conduct and his lack of regret.

“I understand that late last night a member of the House majority thought it appropriate to curse at some of these young people,” Schumer stated Thursday on the Senate ground. “I was shocked when I heard about it. I am further shocked at his refusal to apologize.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., agreed with Schumer, including “everybody on this side of the aisle feels exactly the same way.” Both Schumer and McConnell additionally took time to thank the Senate pages.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., informed reporters Friday that the incident was presumably a “misunderstanding” — including that he deliberate to name Van Orden later that day. McCarthy’s crew didn’t instantly reply to NPR’s request for an replace on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, poked enjoyable at Van Orden’s outburst by imitating the place that the Senate pages reportedly had been rebuked for.

Van Orden is thought for having a brief fuse. In 2021, whereas working for workplace, he was accused of threatening a 17-year-old Wisconsin library staffer over a show of kids’s books in honor of Pride Month, the Associated Press reported.