‘Credible Threat’ Against Family of US Rep. Derrick Van Orden

U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden

Staff of Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden said “a credible threat” was made against the western Wisconsin congressman’s family.

In a statement released Tuesday evening, Van Orden’s office said he would miss votes and reschedule a virtual town hall planned for Wednesday.

The threat was made against Van Orden’s wife, children and grandchildren in a letter delivered to his office in Washington, according to the statement. It said the letter was “reported to the appropriate authorities” and the congressman “looks forward to returning to D.C.”

Prairie du Chien Police Chief Kyle Teynor said in an email that he was notified of the threat by Van Orden’s office Tuesday morning. Teynor and officers from his department were in contact with the family.

“Once their safety was verified, we provided them with assurances that our staff was aware of the threats, the ongoing investigation into the validity of the threat and our ability to facilitate their continued safe residency within our city,” Teynor wrote in an email.

The statement from Van Orden’s staff said the threat was the “direct result of increasingly radical and violent rhetoric by far-left Democrats,” saying members of Congress from both parties should “fully condemn” the behavior.

“No elected official, regardless of political party affiliation, should have to worry about the safety of their family while serving the American people,” Van Orden’s staff said in the statement. “Threats of political violence are not just dangerous — they are anti-American.”

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who has frequently clashed with Van Orden, also called the threats “un-American” in a statement on social media, adding his wishes for “a quick catch of perpetrators” for Van Orden and his family.

But Pocan pointed out that both Republican and Democrats have been the focus of threats.

“From recent MAGA threats to GOP Senators, to regular ongoing threats I & others receive, to anti-Trump threats —none are appropriate,” Pocan wrote on social media.

Both Republicans and Democrats in Wisconsin have been the subject of threats and swatting incidents, where a false emergency call prompts armed police to respond to someone’s home.

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher pointed to concern for his family as part of his decision to resign from Congress.

“I signed up for the death threats and the late night swatting, but they did not,” Gallagher told reporters in April 2024. “And for a young family, I would say this job is really hard.”

Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore also said last year that she had been the subject of swatting, describing the incident in an interview.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has also been the target of potential threats. In 2023, a man brought a gun to the Wisconsin Capitol twice in one day and demanded to see the governor. Evers was also on a list of targets created by a gunman who fatally shot a retired county judge in 2022.

Van Orden’s office had announced the virtual town hall Monday, inviting constituents to sign up to participate on Zoom or watch a livestream on Facebook.

The two-term congressman from Prairie du Chien has held multiple online town halls in recent weeks. It follows a move by Republicans across the country away from in-person events amid a backlash to federal cuts launched by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Listen to the WPR report

‘Credible threat’ made against family of US Rep. Derrick Van Orden was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.