Van Orden non-committal on debating eventual Dem opponent, calls for special committee to investigate Trump assassination attempt

U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in a WisPolitics-WisconsinEye interview  declined to commit to debating the Dem who comes out victorious in the three-way primary to run against him. 

“I don’t know, we’ll see, we’ll see. But I will say this — if we’re doing a debate, it’s on my terms,” the Prairie du Chien Republican said on Day 1 of the RNC in Milwaukee. 

Eau Claire nonprofit leader Rebecca Cooke, state Rep. Katrina Shankland, of Stevens Point, and Eau Claire mortgage loan officer Eric Olson are seeking the Dem nomination to run against Van Orden. Attempts by a La Crosse media coalition to organize a Dem primary debate so far have failed. In 2022, Dems debated but then a general election debate failed to occur Van Orden declined debate challenges from his 2022 opponent, state Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska.

“It’s going to be, at a minimum—and it will be—neutral ground, so no one’s cooking the books here,” Van Orden said of a potential debate in 2024. “I feel absolutely confident to sit on a debate stage with any one of my opponents, whoever it’s going to be, and talk about policy in a meaningful way and talk about my voting record, and then the voters will decide, and I’ll be reelected.”

Van Orden also said there must be an investigation into the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. He said the sole mission of the Secret Service involved is to make sure the president doesn’t get shot, and they failed. 

He said he has asked House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, to establish a special committee to investigate the issue, instead of getting several committees involved at once, which he said is “never going to work.” 

“Because President Biden is still out there, Kamala Harris is still out there, the entire cabinet is still out there,” Van Orden said. “Donald Trump is now the nominee, JD Vance is the vice presidential nominee, and they need protection now. We don’t have time to dither like Congress normally does.”