On Monday, June 16, at Capitol Hill, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., confronted Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, regarding his online comments related to the recent deadly shooting involving Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. The confrontation followed Lee’s Sunday, June 15 post joking that the attack showed “What happens when Marxists don’t get their way,” which Smith and others condemned as cruel and insensitive amid increasing political violence.
Vance Boelter is suspected of being responsible for shooting state Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL, and her husband, resulting in their deaths, and also wounded state Sen. John Hoffman, DFL, along with his spouse. Boelter was apprehended Sunday evening and faces multiple federal charges, including murder and stalking. Smith told Lee directly what she thought the impact of his posts was, saying they were “brutal and cruel” and that he needed to think about the consequences; Amy Klobuchar also plans to confront Lee, stating “This isn’t funny.”
The incident highlights rising threats against lawmakers since 2017 and has led to calls for bipartisan condemnation and improved security protocols to protect public officials from political violence.
