Derrick Van Orden

Congressional Cowards is a weekly series highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—no matter how disgraceful or lawless his actions.Republicans in the House and Senate were quick to follow Donald Trump's March 18 orders to impeach federal judges who ruled against his illegal actions.But when pressed about which high crimes and misdemeanors the judges committed to warrant such an extreme measure, Republicans had no good answer.Instead, the only "crime" they came up with was that the judges didn't let the lawless president trample over the Constitution to do whatever he wants, whether that be deporting immigrants without due process; letting co-President Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency bros access sensitive government systems, shut down federal agencies, and chaotically fire federal employees; or remove health data from government websites because it was tangentially related to “gender identity.”For example, CNN host Kasie Hunt asked Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio what “high crimes or misdemeanors” these judges committed. Jordan replied with what can only be described as verbal diarrhea. “All I’m saying is, if you’re acting in a political fashion and not just following the law, the ruling on the law, and I would argue that frankly just his ruling in and of itself, remember the Constitution is pretty clear, Article II Section I, very first sentence, says the power in the executive branch shall be vested in a president of the United States. The president has the authority,” Jordan said.xxYouTube VideoOf course Jordan left out that Article III of the Constitution says that judicial power extends to “all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States”—which is what the judges were doing when plaintiffs argued that the Trump administration was violating U.S. laws while carrying out its destructive agenda.Rep. Brendan Gill of Texas, who filed articles of impeachment against the judge who tried to stop Trump’s illegal deportations of Venezuelan immigrants (an order the Trump administration ignored), was also asked which impeachable offenses the judge committed—and had a terrible response.“This is for usurping the executive's authority, for demeaning the impartiality of the court by making a politicized ruling, and forcing a constitutional crisis,” Gill said on Newsmax. “That is a high crime and misdemeanor.”xxYouTube VideoOther Republicans also backed Trump and Musk’s call to impeach judges who rule against the administration.“America is a Republic, not a dictatorship of the judiciary. It's time to get rid of the political activists masquerading as judges and re-establish proper separation of powers,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida wrote in a post on X. “That's why I'm proud to announce that I will be joining my colleagues in impeaching ALL the activist judges who are unconstitutionally blocking President Trump's agenda.”And Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said he was going to introduce a law that would ban judges from being able to order nationwide injunctions.“District Court judges have issued RECORD numbers of national injunctions against the Trump administration - a dramatic abuse of judicial authority. I will introduce legislation to stop this abuse for good,” Hawley said, without acknowledging that maybe it’s because no other administration has ever initiated so many lawless actions that violate the Constitution.Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley didn’t explicitly say he supported impeaching the judges, but he made it clear he believes what the judges did was wrong—and will use his powerful committee to go after those judges.“Another day, another judge unilaterally deciding policy for the whole country. This time to benefit foreign gang members,” Grassley wrote in a post on X. “If the Supreme Court or Congress doesn’t fix, we’re headed towards a constitutional crisis. Senate Judiciary Cmte taking action.”And it seems that Musk read Grassley’s comment as being supportive of impeachment, because after Trump’s demand to impeach the judges, Musk donated to Grassley and six other Republicans who have supported the effort to boot them, The New York Times reported.From the Times’ report:Mr. Musk contributed on Wednesday to Representatives Eli Crane of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Brandon Gill of Texas. He also donated to Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, according to two of the people briefed on the matter.“This is a judicial coup,” Musk wrote on X of a court ruling that blocked Trump from banning transgender people from the military. “We need 60 senators to impeach the judges and restore rule of the people.”Of course, it takes 67 senators to impeach—a fact you’d think Musk, who Trump and Republicans have framed as a genius, would know.Ultimately, this impeachment effort is futile.Even if House Republicans somehow succeed in impeaching these judges, there is no way that Democratic senators would vote to convict and remove them in an impeachment trial.The end result of this ridiculous posturing: making judges fear for their own safety as they receive death threats for their legally sound rulings, thanks to Republicans’ vile rhetoric.Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.

Liberal Judge Susan Crawford and conservative former Attorney General Brad Schimel are facing off in a high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race April 1.

House Republicans are targeting a growing cohort of federal judges with impeachment for issuing rulings unfavorable to the Trump administration.Why it matters: It's a stark break with tradition as judges until now have been impeached mainly for gross personal misconduct, financial corruption or other serious criminal offenses.Trump has fueled the effort by advocating judicial impeachments, though some GOP lawmakers have expressed pause.U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts also pushed back Tuesday, saying in a rare statement: "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.""The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose," Roberts said.By the numbers: House Republicans have introduced or threatened articles of impeachment against more than a half-dozen federal district court judges who ruled against Trump.House Republican leaders have not ruled out holding impeachment votes, but with a two-seat majority and some Republicans uncomfortable with the idea, they could be a heavy lift.To actually remove any of these judges, all Senate Republicans and at least 14 Democrats would have to vote to convict them — likely an impossible threshold.James Boasberg — Chief Judge, District of ColumbiaBoasberg incurred Trump's wrath by ordering a plane deporting roughly 250 alleged Venezuelan gang members turned around as he adjudicated the administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1789.Trump said Tuesday in a post on Truth Social: "This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges' I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!"Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) quickly introduced articles of impeachment the same day accusing Boasberg of abuse of power, backed by five Republican co-sponsors.Paul Engelmayer — Southern District of New YorkEngelmayer issued a ruling last month blocking DOGE from accessing Department of Treasury records with sensitive personal data.Reps. Derrick Van Orden (R-Ariz.) and Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) have both introduced articles of impeachment against Engelmayer. Crane's measure has seven GOP co-sponsors.John Bates — District of ColumbiaBates ordered the Trump administration to restore health agency websites that were shut down by an executive order cracking down on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) introduced articles of impeachment against Bates last month homing in on "socially divisive and destructive LGBTQI+ content" on the sites.Ogles accused Bates of "conduct so utterly lacking in intellectual honesty and basic integrity that he is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors."Amir Ali — District of ColumbiaAli ruled that Trump lacks "unbounded power" to curtail foreign aid that has been appropriated by congress, ordering the administration to restart frozen aid payments.Ogles introduced articles of impeachment against Ali last month calling his ruling "arbitrary and capricious" and, as with Bates, accusing him of "lacking in intellectual honesty and basic integrity."John J. McConnell Jr. — District of Rhode IslandMcConnell blocked an Office of Management and Budget order in January temporarily freezing all federal grant, loan and financial assistance programs.Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) said last month he plans to introduce articles of impeachment against McConnell.Adam Abelson — District of MarylandAbelson issued an order last month blocking Trump's executive order to end all federal funding for programs promoting DEI.Crane, in a post on X, floated impeaching Abselson, with Trump confidante Elon Musk also expressing his support for the idea.Theodore Chuang — District of MarylandChuang ruled this week that the Trump administration likely violated the Constitution by shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development.Ogles, in a post on X, said: "Impeach him!"

Sen. Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, was one of six new members appointed by Trump to the board, which oversees a host of standards at the academy.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin hosted a roundtable discussion in La Crosse to raise awareness about the potential cuts to Medicaid, which serves over 1.2 million Wisconsinites, as Republicans seek budget cuts.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. pushed back at suggestions that judges should be impeached if they rule against President Trump's agenda.

A House Republican is moving to impeach the federal judge who ordered the Trump administration to stop some of its deportation flights.

The town hall is scheduled for Tuesday at the Historic Temple Theatre of Viroqua, with or without the congressman in attendance.

The president issued high-profile threats to primary Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) for opposing the bill.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., has filed articles of impeachment against two federal judges following rulings that slowed or stopped Trump administration actions.

Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin faced pushback from conservatives on social media over a comment interpreted as suggesting the brains of Trump voters haven't fully formed yet.

Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. Democrats’ divided responses to President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress culminated with 10 of them in the House voting with Republicans on Thursday to censure Texas Democratic [...]The post At the Races: Censure and sensitivity appeared first on Roll Call.

President Donald Trump cays he wants to avoid conflict with Iran and called for negotiations to create a new nuclear peace agreement with Tehran.

The Republican-backed candidate in Wisconsin’s pivotal state Supreme Court race says he thinks anyone convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers should serve their entire sentence

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is opposing the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be President Donald Trump's Defense secretary.

The movement to eliminate the free trade perks China enjoys in the U.S. is gaining steam under Republican control of government.

'I will always back the blue'

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with the media in the Capitol on Thursday before a vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government.

Sen. John Fetterman said he admires Elon Musk, and is not his enemy. Musk said it is "Hard not to like" the senator.

Hardline conservatives have struck a tentative deal with House Republicans concerned about chaos in the chamber, agreeing to raise the threshold to force a vote to oust the Speaker in exchange for concessions on rules changes — potentially putting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on a glidepath to keep the gavel come January. The deal — which [...]

'Same sheet of music'

Covering the White House race to competitive congressional races and high-stakes ballot measures.

Remember when Hugo Chávez's ghost and Italian military satellites stole the 2020 election? Oh, wait, they didn't

The Texas Senate race has shifted away from GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, seen here at the Republican National Convention, and is now rated Tilt Republican by Inside Elections.

The survey, conducted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was the latest in what looks to be a close race.

This week, there’s a certain irony to our newsletter being called “At the Races.” And no, it’s not because Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader who was banned from baseball for betting on the Cincinnati Reds, died​ Monday at age 83. Betting on the outcome of the congressional elections next month by individuals [...]The post At the Races: Please bet responsibly appeared first on Roll Call.

The former president meandered Saturday through a list of grievances against Vice President Kamala Harris and other issues.

Former President Donald Trump meandered Saturday through a list of grievances against Vice President Kamala Harris and other issues in an event intended to link his Democratic opponent to illegal border crossings.A day after Harris discussed immigration at the U.S.-Mexico...

Former President Trump spoke to supporters in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on Saturday, focusing on the arrest of an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member accused of sex crimes.

A day after Vice President Kamala Harris discussed immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, former President Donald Trump is expected to respond by again linking her to illegal border crossings at an event in a western Wisconsin river town.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, is in a more competitive race.

'One of the deepest failures'

On third anniversary of Afghanistan withdrawal, former president pays homage at Arlington.

Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski Editor’s note: At the Races will not come out on Aug. 29. It will return [...]The post At the Races: Can ‘joy’ give Democrats the House gavel? appeared first on Roll Call.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's revenge tour is sputtering to an end this week, with just one primary win to show for it.Why it matters: McCarthy's former colleagues complain he's effectively lit millions of dollars on fire and made it harder for new leaders to do their jobs.Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is expected to win easily on Tuesday despite a McCarthy-linked PAC spending more than $3 million against him."McCarthy thinks about me a lot more than I think about him," Gaetz told us.Between the lines: Multiple House Republicans and senior staff took issue with McCarthy's public criticisms of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and said they saw his fingerprints on the attempted ouster of Johnson in May, sources tell us."[W]hen you leave, you should go off to do the next thing you're going to do. You shouldn't be trying to spend all your time going after people that you didn't like," a top House Republican told Axios.McCarthy declined to comment.Zoom in: Since his historic removal last fall, McCarthy and his allies have targeted the eight House Republicans who voted against him."They gave him that money to beat Democrats ... and now we come to find out that that money ... was, in fact, gone after Republicans," said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who voted to oust McCarthy.Of McCarthy's targets, House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-Va.) was the only one to lose his primary, and his opponent was endorsed by former President Trump. "Every dollar, every dollar that we have, should be going, we're raising this cycle, should be going to defending a greater majority of the House, not work on, not work on a revenge tour," a GOP lawmaker told Axios.The other side: McCarthy allies have defended his work against those who moved to oust him, arguing they deserve repercussions. "Matt Gaetz has done more damage to the Republican Party than any Democrat in the history of Congress. Gaetz needs to self-actualize and just be on a reality television show, he has no business being in Congress," Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) told Axios.

Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. From concerts to campaign cash, 2024 is shaping up as a test of the crypto industry’s political strength. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Charles [...]The post At the Races: Crypto campaigning appeared first on Roll Call.

Residents in Western Wisconsin voted for their preferred Congressional representative in Tuesday's primary election. Democratic candidates Rebecca Cooke, Katrina Shankland and Eric Wilson's race to represent the party in the race to unseat Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden in November.

The Democrats' House Majority PAC is zeroing in on three new Republican incumbents as part of a major $24 million addition to their fall ad campaign. The television reservations, which add to an initial $186 million in television and digital reservations announced earlier this year, put Wisconsin Reps. Derrick Van Orden (R), Bryan Steil (R) [...]

The Apostle Islands would become Wisconsin's first national park under a bill introduced by northern Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, opening more access to federal resources.

'We have restored the flags'

Several other Republican officials, including Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, have also called on Biden's Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment.