Where is Rebecca Cooke? That’s the question former Navy SEAL chief Derrick Van Orden is asking after the former leftist fundraiser remained conspicuously silent on Iran.
“More than 30 hours after the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, Rebecca Cooke has failed to offer a single comment on the major military developments shaping global security and the safety of the United States and the Free World,” Van Orden’s campaign said in a statement. “Cooke’s refusal to engage in one of the most consequential national security developments of our time shows a troubling lack of seriousness about the responsibilities of the office she is seeking.”
As of 1 p.m. on March 1, Cooke’s last X post was on February 27, and she had not taken a stance on Iran. The same was true of her official Facebook page. That isn’t true of Van Orden, who immediately wrote, “Any member of the United States Goverment that is siding with the rogue Iranian regime over the United States needs to resign from office immediately.” He also wrote, “The current Iranian regime has been sowing the seeds of terror around the world for decades. They are directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans and it is time they are held accountable. May God bless our Troops and give them: Strength, Wisdom, and Courage.”
Correct https://t.co/CSw4gbGzei
— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) February 28, 2026
Van Orden also criticized Cooke for her silence on X.
Of Cooke, he wrote, “I spent decades fighting against the savages that have been killing Americans. She has spent decades as a political fundraiser. It is showing.”
Here is the entirety of @RebeccaforWI ‘s comments on the most consequential series of military operations that have taken place in her lifetime: “_________”
We need members of Congress that can speak intelligently on these world changing matters.
This is just not her.
— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) March 1, 2026
“I am guessing the reason @RebeccaforWI has still failed to comment on the most significant series of military operations to take place in her entire life is because her depth of foreign policy knowledge and experience is about as deep as a kiddie pool,” Van Orden wrote. “We need members of Congress that can intelligently address the issues that effect every American and the Free World with gravitas, she clearly cannot.”
Cooke, a liberal who supports socialist New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is challenging the former Navy SEAL intelligence chief in the third congressional district. She has tried to repackage herself as a waitress with a broken down car. Democrat Katrina Shankland, whom Cooke defeated in a previous Democratic primary, accused Cooke of lying about her background “as a political fundraiser.”
“Where is Rebecca Cooke? More than 30 hours after the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury, eliminating Ayatollah Khamenei in a move that’s redefining global security and putting the safety of the United States front and center, she’s completely silent. The likely explanation is as simple as it is damning: her depth of foreign policy experience is shallower than a kiddie pool,” said Grace Kim, Van Orden’s campaign spokeswoman.
