Donald Trump’s Attorney Michael Van Der Veen’s Home Vandalized
The home of one of the attorneys defending former US President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial was vandalized with graffiti.
Detective Scott Pezick of the West Whiteland Township Police Department in Chester County said the graffiti was reported around 8 p.m. Friday at attorney Michael van der Veen’s residence in West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia.
Police said vandals spray-painted the word “TRAITOR” in red on his driveway in suburban Philadelphia.
Van der Veen spent the week in Washington, D.C., defending Trump at his impeachment trial over the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building. Trump was acquitted by the Senate on Saturday.
Pezick said private security has since been hired by the homeowner to protect the residence, and police presence has been beefed up in van der Veen’s neighbourhood.
He also confirmed that van der Veen’s wife reported the vandalism to police.
“She came home, saw it in the driveway and called the police,” Pezick said.
He said the graffiti was the only vandalism officers found on the van der Veen’s property.
Van der Veen, a personal injury lawyer, spoke briefly of the incident during an interview Saturday on Fox News.
“My home was attacked. I’d rather not go into that,” a visibly upset van der Veen said.
He added, “My entire family, my business, my law firm are under siege right now.”
This comes after a group of demonstrators gathered over the weekend outside of van der Veen’s law office in downtown Philadelphia.
The demonstrators called van der Veen a “fascist” and chanted, “When van der Veen lies, what do you do? Convict. Convict,” during the demonstration.