FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — Rep. Glenn Grothman’s office caught fire early Sunday morning in what police say was an arson motivated by retaliation for a U.S. ban on TikTok.
Police and firefighters responded just after 1 a.m. Sunday to a building where the U.S. congressman rents office space. Authorities believe the fire was intentionally set.
A 19-year-old Menasha man is in custody after police say he admitted to starting the fire. The Fond du Lac Police Department reported no injuries.
Rep. Grothman, a Republican representing Wisconsin’s 6th District, spoke to NBC over Zoom on Monday after watching President Trump’s inauguration in Washington. He said most of the damage was confined to the back of the office, with the interior sustaining smoke damage.
“We were very fortunate that some alert citizen called the police,” Grothman said.
Watch: Congressman addresses 'surprising' alleged arson at Fond du Lac office
Grothman has been outspoken about concerns over TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, and its access to American users’ data. Three years ago, he joined other Republican lawmakers in urging Gov. Tony Evers to ban the app on government devices in Wisconsin.
When asked by NBC reporter Pari Apostolakos if recent agreements between TikTok and the U.S. government eased his concerns, Grothman shifted focus to the suspect’s behavior.
“I’m not focused on the issue because I think when somebody does something like this, they are the type of person looking for attention,” Grothman said. “If it wasn’t the TikTok issue that caused him to light a fire at my office, he would have found some other issue.”
Grothman said the suspect had never contacted his office before.
“I can’t think of any congressman who’s had their office attacked for something like that, much less an attempted arson,” he added.
The Fond du Lac Police Department said the fire remains under investigation. Police have not yet named the suspect, and NBC 26 is awaiting updates on potential charges.
