MAGA Congressman Goes on Wild Rant Blaming Democrats, Media, Canadians for Kirk Shooting: ’21st Century Brown Shirts’
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) reacted furiously to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, posting dozens of tweets and making angry comments to reporters blaming Democrats, the media, Canadians, liberal members of the European Parliament, schools and universities, and more for the fatal shooting, calling them “21st century brown shirts” and vowing to “be at war” for 20 years against them.
Kirk, 31, was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday when the shooting occurred. Video taken by students attending his speech shows Kirk appearing to have been shot in the neck after the sound of a single gunshot was heard. He was rushed to a local hospital but died from his injuries.
The Turning Point USA founder was a popular figure in conservative media circles and a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, encouraging the young voters in his organization to vote for Trump during his presidential campaigns and speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last year.
Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL who was at the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot (although he disputes media reports that he entered restricted areas after the violence broke out), is no stranger to voicing his opinions with little to no filter, screaming obscenities at Senate pages in the Capitol Rotunda in 2023, lambasting a teenage staffer at a local Wisconsin library over a Pride Month book display, erupting in what Politico called a “curse-laden outburst” during a White House briefing on the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel, and lobbing insults at a Democratic congressman from his state over social media and in front of news cameras.
The Wisconsin Republican displayed similarly pugnacious takes in the aftermath of Kirk’s shooting — some of it captured on video.
In the below clip, Van Orden shakes his finger at gathered reporters and blames them directly for Kirk’s death.
“Every. Single. One. Of. You. Here. You’re at fault,” said Van Orden.
NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Melanie Zanona tried to ask him, “How can you say that when we don’t even know who the shooter is?”
“You know what?” replied Van Orden. “Knock it off. Knock it off.”
Another reporter tried to ask about Republicans and Van Orden interjected, “You are responsible for that assassination yesterday.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself. Disgusting,” he added as he turned to walk away, waving off questions about the assassinations of Minnesota Democrats this summer.
According to Zanona, she had previously tried to ask her question and he replied, “Be quiet.”
Van Orden also spent a lot of the hours since the shooting posting tweets that blamed a broad cast of targets including the media, Democrats, Canadians, liberal members of the European Parliament, schools and universities, and more, accusing them of wanting “civil war” and calling them “21st century brown shirts,” referring to the nickname for the Sturmabteilung (“Storm Troopers”), Hitler’s original Nazi paramilitary organization, and vowing to “be at war” for the next 20 years because of Kirk’s killing.
In multiple tweets, he called for “Zero Federal Funding” for schools and universities that employed someone who had posted comments on social media critical of Kirk or sounding heartless about his death.
He also made multiple posts and shared others inaccurately claiming that Congressional Democrats “booed a prayer” for Kirk. Multiple media outlets reported that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle stood for a silent prayer for Kirk when two Republicans caused a disturbance. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) demanding a prayer be spoken “out loud” for Kirk saying that “silent prayers get silent results,” a comment which The Wall Street Journal reported as leading to “Some Democrats protested her comments” and brought up a recent school shooting and then Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) standing up and “shouting expletives” at the Democrats before Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) gaveled the chamber back in order. Fox News had a similar report and posted the video as well.
A selection of additional tweets from Van Orden is below.
This article has been updated.
