On Wednesday afternoon, Phelan, without mentioning Kirk by name, wrote on X, “I am aware of posts displaying contempt toward a fellow American who was assassinated. I want to be very clear: any uniformed or civilian employee of the Department of the Navy who acts in a manner that brings discredit upon the Department, the @USNavy or the @USMC will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.”
That drew an angry response from Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) who menaced Donald Trump’s Navy appointee less than an hour after the Navy secretary’s post went live.
Van Orden, who made a big show of announcing “I am at war” after Kirk was gunned down in Utah, noted his own Navy service and wrote, “I will be explicitly clear with you, @SECNAV, if you do not take prompt, direct, and decisive action to clear the ranks of this shit from my Navy, I will do everything in my power to kick you to the curb.”
Not content with that, he added, “If your JAG’s have a problem with this, they can find a job somewhere else. Wearing a uniform is a privilege not a right. You will unf--- this promptly. -SOCS (Ret) Van Orden.”
You can see his post right here.
