WASHINGTON — Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., is calling on his colleague Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., to apologize for a confrontation in July with a group of teenage Senate pages after watching security footage of the entire incident for the first time this week.
He said he believes Van Orden might’ve gone after the teenage staffers in order to impress a group of visitors he was entertaining at the time.
“There was no audio [on the surveillance video] so all you could see were body actions,” Pocan said. “[Van Orden] was giving a tour to about 15 people.”
Van Orden received bipartisan backlash for yelling at the pages for taking pictures inside the Capitol rotunda while lying on the floor. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer rebuked the freshman congressman’s behavior during a floor speech in July before the August recess. Van Orden refused to apologize.
“He all of a sudden saw them, went up to them very belligerently animated I would say, with his hands,” Pocan said. “[He] yelled at them, stepped over the rope to continue yelling, and as they immediately got up and started leaving, he followed them out and continued to yell at them.”
Pocan said the video revealed new details about the incident. He claims security footage shows the GOP congressman made a celebratory gesture in front of his visitors after he berated the pages.
“He went back to the group and he took a bow to his group,” Pocan said. “So it seemed like it was more of showing off than actual concern about dead soldiers from the Civil War, which I think was the excuse.”
Van Orden defended his actions last month in a statement, accusing the staffers of disrespecting the building.
“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,” he wrote.
The Republican was also accused of being intoxicated by Democrats during the incident after pictures of empty beer cans in his office’s trash bins were posted on social media.
“I mean, one, quit having midnight parties in your office, it's unusual to do that,” Pocan said. “And, two, be respectful of everyone who's enjoying the Capitol.”
Pocan asked for the security footage to be made public back in August but says he opted to watch the tape behind closed doors after the families of the Senate pages expressed privacy concerns. He’s now calling on Van Orden to apologize.
A spokesperson for the latter indicated the congressman is moving on, writing in a statement, “Derrick Van Orden came to Congress to work for the people of Wisconsin's Third Congressional District. Right now, he is laser-focused on making sure the government doesn't shut down.”