Most people are now aware of the tragedy that took place in Minnesota over the weekend. Early Saturday morning, two political leaders and their spouses were shot in their homes. Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were assassinated in their Brooklyn Park home at about 3:30 am. Prior to that, Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot multiple times in their Champlin home around 2 am. Thankfully, both are expected to recover from their injuries, but the process will be a long one.

Tragedy Affects People Near and Far

A tragedy like this is hard to comprehend, and it’s even harder when one thinks it could have been much worse. For at least two other Minnesota politicians had their homes observed by the assailant Vance Boelter, before the two shootings. And we now know his hit list contained other prominent Democratic politicians in the state, including Governor Tim Walz and the entire Democratic Congressional delegation.

Fortunately, due to a coordinated effort by local law enforcement, Mr. Boelter was taken into custody last night without incident near his home in Green Isle, Minnesota. As testimonials continue to pour in from around the country honoring these dedicated civil servants and their families, something more sinister is underfoot.

As often happens when tragedy strikes, some people feel compelled to score political points based on their interpretation of the events. And as word started to spread on Saturday regarding who the suspect was and specifics about his background, some on the right began to pounce because Mr. Boelter had been appointed twice to a statewide commission by two Democratic governors, including Mr. Walz.

Now, most people, including a majority of people on the right, expressed condolences to the families and support for the survivors, including President Trump. Unfortunately, some people on both sides of the aisle sought to soil the goodwill that sprung from this tragedy with cheap, disgusting political theatre. These types of actions are a sad reminder of how damaged the political discourse is in this country.

Senator Mike Lee and Some Goons on the Right

Today, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) posted unfounded claims on the social media app X about the tragic events that unfolded over the weekend. In his post, Mr. Lee said. “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way,” along with a photo of the suspect standing at the Hortman’s door with a mask on. Lee then posted a photo of the subject wearing his mask alongside a headshot of Vance Boelter and said, “Nightmare on Waltz Street,” an apparent reference to Gov. Walz.

Condemnation for Lee and his comments was delivered swiftly by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) speaking on MSNBC today.

I have condemned what Mike Lee did here at home, and I will speak to him about this when I return. And what I’m going to tell him is: This isn’t funny. This was an incredible woman (referring to Hortman), her husband, her two kids — yesterday on Father’s Day, there was no Father’s Day for them. They lost both their parents.”

And, of course, Elon Musk had to get his two cents in regarding the tragedy. Musk, in a report on X, said. “The far left is murderously violent.” This was a repost from an X user who claimed that multiple recent high-profile killings—including Saturday’s assassination of Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband—had been perpetrated by “the left.”

The Left is Not Blameless

CNN’s John Berman today asked Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) how he would describe the political atmosphere after the tragedy in Minnesota over the weekend. Merkley replied.

“I feel like Trump has really popped the lid off of the rhetoric and the sense of hate and violence and promoted this type of an environment. It’s profoundly disturbing for all of us. And just — let me just say, my heart goes out to the families in Minnesota. How horrific — horrific for the whole — whole country, but particularly we’re holding the folks in Minnesota in our hearts.”

Summary

Clearly, the Senator makes some valid points, but it is a good time to tone down the rhetoric and seek bipartisan solutions to the issue. Violence and threats of violence directed toward politicians have increased exponentially in the last five years, and it is a serious problem for both parties and the country in general. It’s time to get off the soapbox and jump into the trenches to work together to find solutions to this growing tragedy.