Rep. Van Orden says he was assaulted at RNC by protester; CODEPINK denies

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Minn., says he was assaulted by a protester at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, in what he says was an act of political violence.

"While standing in line to enter an event at the RNC today, I was assaulted by what appeared to be a member of the pro-Hamas group CODEPINK. A nearby police officer witnessed this assault and I understand they have been arrested," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This appears to be an incident of political violence and I will never tolerate this. Regardless of the severity of the violence, political violence is political violence.

Republicans have been intimidated and targeted for years including the attempted assassination of President Trump and we will no longer standby and allow lawlessness.

There is no place for political violence in this country and I have repeatedly called for people who choose this path to be prosecuted to the greatest extent of the law.

Nothing will change until these people are held accountable."

In a response, CODEPINK said it was their protester who was shoved past by Van Orden.

"While peacefully waiting in line to enter the event, Nour, a visibly Palestinian woman, was intentionally bumped into by this bald, white member of Congress while he tried to shove past her. Despite not reacting to this, Nour was falsely accused of "assault" by a Texas State police officer on the scene and we are told she will be taken to a Milwaukee Police Department. No charges have been filed as of this release. Notably, two other CODEPINK staff members ahead of her in line passed through without any issues, raising concerns of racial profiling," co-founder Medea Benjamin said.

"It is a microcosm of the misogyny at the RNC that the more gentle non-violent woman, the only Palestinian in line with our group is assaulted and then even when she did not respond she was the one who was arrested," she said.

"CODEPINK unequivocally states that no one from our organization assaulted anyone. We attended the RNC to deliver a message of peace and disarmament, adhering strictly to non-violent protest methods," she added.