A Republican congressman bungled a post mocking a Democratic senator’s visit to El Salvador by digitally vandalizing one of his own partymate’s office plaques.
Georgia Rep. Mike Collins posted a photo of a plaque on Friday that had Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s name on it. In the place of the constituency was “El Salvador.”
It was a jab at Van Hollen for taking a trip to the Latin American country this week to speak with his deported constituent, 29-year-old father of three Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Hey @ChrisVanHollen, I went ahead and changed your office plaque for you. pic.twitter.com/jNMKnbCWw3
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) April 18, 2025
“Hey @ChrisVanHollen, I went ahead and changed your office plaque for you,” Collins wrote.
While it wasn’t immediately clear if the photo was photoshopped or if Collins had actually vandalized Van Hollen’s plaque, a telling detail gives away the answer.
The photo shows the plaque with Van Hollen’s name on it, but the Democrat doesn’t occupy Senate office SH-110—he’s in SH-730, according to the Senate website. The plaque that Collins vandalized actually belongs to Republican hardliner Sen. Rick Scott.
The Floridian was the favorite in the MAGAverse to succeed Sen. Lindsey Graham as top Republican in the Senate, but he was beat out by South Dakota’s Sen. John Thune.
To add insult to injury, Collins and Scott have been allies in the past. In 2022, the two men appeared at a rally together in support of failed candidate for Georgia’s Senate seat and former NFL star Herschel Walker.
It’s unclear why Collins chose to photoshop the plaque belonging to Scott’s office. Representatives for Collins and Van Hollen did not immediately return The Daily Beast’s requests for comment.
Collins has been one of the loudest voices criticizing Van Hollen’s trip to El Salvador. After pictures emerged of the Democrat speaking to Abrego Garcia, Collins wrote, “This is a sitting U.S. Senator consoling an MS-13 gang member. Traitorous.”
This is a sitting U.S. Senator consoling an MS-13 gang member. Traitorous. https://t.co/zKCLa4vnwa
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) April 18, 2025
The Trump administration has also pushed the unproven claim that Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member as excuse for their defiance of court orders demanding that they bring the man back to the U.S.
Van Hollen’s trip also became the target of Republican mockery after El Salvador’s government staged his conversation with Abrego Garcia in a cheery restaurant. President Nayib Bukele, a Trump ally, claimed the two men were enjoying margaritas as they talked.
Van Hollen later said the margaritas were placed their by a government official and that neither he nor Abrego Garcia took a sip of them.
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