Chris Van Hollen: More Passion for Politics Than His Constituents

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen has no shortage of opinions on national and international issues. Scroll through his Twitter feed, and you’ll find an endless stream of partisan barbs aimed at Donald Trump and sweeping pronouncements about the importance of “due process,” “democracy,” and “the rule of law.” But when you hold those words against the reality of life for Maryland families, a very different picture emerges: Van Hollen seems far more invested in political theater than in the everyday struggles of the people he was elected to serve.

Selective Outrage on Due Process

Again and again, Van Hollen has tweeted about due process—but only when it involves non-citizens or high-profile national cases.

• On Kilmar Abrego García, Van Hollen accused Trump officials of “abducting” him and praised the courts for affirming his rights.
• He warned that “when one person’s rights are denied, everyone’s are at risk.”

Yet where is this outrage when it comes to Maryland citizens—parents silenced in family court, stripped of visitation rights, and denied fair hearings every single day? If Van Hollen believes due process is a universal constitutional guarantee, then why does he ignore the routine violations happening in his own state courts?

The hypocrisy is glaring: constitutional rights are defended loudly on Twitter when they make for good politics, but they’re ignored when protecting ordinary Marylanders would mean confronting judicial corruption at home.

Ukraine First, Maryland Last

On Ukrainian Independence Day, Van Hollen declared that “we must stand with its brave people” and attacked Trump for being soft on Putin.

But this performative patriotism rings hollow when Maryland families are drowning under skyrocketing energy costs, inflation, violent crime, and a broken justice system. He’ll fight tooth and nail for foreign borders, yet turns a blind eye to failing Baltimore neighborhoods and parents locked out of their children’s lives.

The contrast couldn’t be sharper: Ukraine gets unwavering support. Maryland families get silence.

Cheerleader for the Judiciary

Van Hollen cheered when a Trump lawsuit against Maryland judges was tossed out, calling it a “win for the rule of law.” But ask anyone who has endured Maryland’s opaque and unaccountable family court system, and they’ll tell you the opposite is true. Judges are shielded from scrutiny, due process is routinely ignored, and citizens are left powerless.

If the Senator thinks this judiciary is a shining example of the “rule of law,” he’s proving just how detached Washington politicians are from the realities their constituents face.

Empty Partisanship

At every turn, Van Hollen frames his message around Trump:

• Trump is “authoritarian.”
• Trump is “calamitous.”
• Trump “bends to Putin.”

But for all the noise, what has Van Hollen actually delivered for Marylanders? Have crime rates dropped? Are families more secure? Are courts more transparent? The answer is no. Marylanders don’t need more tweets about Trump—they need action on the issues destroying lives right here at home.

The Real Calamity

The true “calamity” isn’t Trump’s lawsuits or foreign policy spats. It’s the lived experience of Maryland citizens under leaders like Van Hollen:

• Parents denied their rights in family court.
• Families struggling under taxes, inflation, and high energy costs.
• Communities plagued by crime while politicians posture about foreign conflicts.

Van Hollen’s record shows a man more loyal to party politics and global grandstanding than to the constituents who sent him to Washington. If he spent half as much energy defending Maryland families as he does defending his own political talking points, the state might finally see progress.