Glenn Grothman

A Wisconsin man so upset by the potential US ban of TikTok that he set his local congressman's office on fire had pleaded guilty to the fiery response.

Caiden Stachowicz, 20, of Menasha, near Green Bay, entered the plea on Monday in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court after dropping his insanity plea, online court records show.

Stachowicz admitted to setting fire at Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman's Fond du Lac office on January 19 ahead of the initial federal TikTok ban.

He was charged with felony arson, burglary, terrorist threats, and criminal damage to property.

On the night of the fire, police officer responded to a scene around 1am and saw Stachowicz standing by his car.

The officer attempted to use a fire extinguisher to put out the flames and was informed by Stachowicz that it was an 'electrical fire.'

The young man then admitted to the officer that he started the blaze because he didn't like Grothman, according to the criminal complaint viewed by the Daily Mail.

He also said he bought supplies at a Kwik Trip on his way to the politician's office.

Stachowicz said that he initially planned to break into the office and start the fire inside, but couldn't break the window.

He then poured gas on an electrical box in the back of the building and around the front of the building before lighting a match and watching it burn, the complaint said.

He said he wanted to burn down the office because the US government was shutting down TikTok in violation of his constitutional rights, and peace was no longer an option.

Stachowicz told officers that he 'wished the whole building would have burned down,' and it would be 'collateral damage' if other structures nearby burned as well, the complaint said.

He noted that Grothman voted for TikTok's ban but that he didn't want to hurt anyone or harm Grothman himself.

Grothman voted for a bill in April 2024 that mandated TikTok's China-based company, ByteDance, sell its US operation.

The deadline for the shutdown was January 19, but President Donald Trump has issued multiple executive orders delaying it.

His administration has been negotiating with Chinese officials to keep the popular social media app running in the US, but no deal has been announced.

Stachowicz initially put in an insanity plea, but that was dropped in August after his psychiatric evaluation was returned, Fox 11 News reported.

His plea is now no contest. Defendants who plead no contest have decided they will no longer fight the charges against them, but they do not admit guilt.

District Attorney Eric Toney agreed to drop burglary and property damage charges in exchange for the plea.

Stachowicz faces up to 40 years in the state prison system. He will be sentenced on March 5.