Minnesota Shootings Shake Capitol Hill, Spark Security Fears

Hindustan Times

9 hours ago

The middle-of-the-night killing in Minnesota of a top Democratic state lawmaker and the shooting of a colleague—allegedly by a suspect posing as a police officer who had a list of other elected officials—jolted Capitol Hill, eight years to the day after Republican lawmakers were targeted by a lone gunman at a congressional baseball practice.
Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and the rest of Minnesota's congressional delegation released a joint statement saying they 'speak with one voice to express our outrage, grief, and condemnation of this horrible attack on public servants.' Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) and other lawmakers of both parties issued statements saying there is no place for violence in politics.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Saturday that U.S. Capitol Police had agreed to increase security for Minnesota Sens. Tina Smith and Klobuchar, both Democrats, at his request in light of the shooting. Schumer also asked the Senate sergeant at arms, the chamber's top cop, and Thune to hold a full briefing on member security once lawmakers return.
Smith's name appeared in the alleged shooter's documents, according to her spokesman. Rep. Kelly Morrison (D., Minn.), who joined Congress in January after serving in the state legislature, also appeared on the shooter's list, her spokeswoman said. Klobuchar's office didn't respond to a request for comment.
House Republicans held an emergency call to talk about safety concerns, a person familiar with the call said.
The shooting came the same day as nationwide 'No Kings' protests against Trump. The suspect in the Minnesota shooting had handmade 'No Kings' signs in his car, a police photo showed. In Texas, state legislators were warned about threats to their safety at protests at the state Capitol in Austin.
Lawmakers' bipartisan push Saturday to lower the political temperature came just days after political tensions on Capitol Hill reached a boiling point.
On Thursday afternoon, video of Sen. Alex Padilla (D., Calif.) tussling with federal agents at a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles angered Democrats back in Washington. Johnson then condemned Padilla's actions in remarks to reporters, drawing heckling from other lawmakers who passed him as spoke before TV cameras.
'You have to turn the temperature down in this country and not escalate it,' Johnson said in his remarks. He then accused Democrats of siding with lawbreakers on immigration.
During the final votes before lawmakers broke for home, Rep. John Mannion (D., N.Y.) angrily screamed at centrist Rep. Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.) on the House floor, stating he should 'get some f—ing balls' and challenge Republican colleagues.
There have been a series of violent political incidents in recent years. Democrats have pointed the finger at President Trump's abrasive style of politics, saying it could spur extremists to target politicians. Republicans have countered that a number of the violent incidents of the past decade involved left-wing assailants targeting Republicans.
Trump barely escaped an assassination attempt last year in Butler, Pa., by a shooter whose motivation remains unknown.
In 2017, Rep. Steve Scalise (R., La.), a member of House GOP leadership, nearly died after being shot by a gunman who opened fire during a GOP baseball practice in Alexandria, Va. The gunman belonged to several anti-Republican groups and had volunteered for Sen. Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign.
In 2022, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) was severely beaten with a hammer by an intruder at the couple's San Francisco home. The man told police he had planned to kidnap Pelosi, who wasn't home at the time, and 'break her kneecaps' over what he called Democratic lies.
Also that year, an armed man who said he was upset about a pending Supreme Court abortion ruling was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home and charged with attempted murder. It came just days after a gunman carrying a list of elected officials—including Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.)—shot and killed a retired Wisconsin judge.
Write to Katy Stech Ferek at [e-mail] and Tim Hanrahan at [e-mail]
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