Klobuchar condemns Mike Lee's posts about Minnesota suspect: ‘This isn't funny'
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on Monday condemned social media posts from her colleague Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) spreading unfounded claims about the man suspected of killing a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and her husband on Saturday morning.
'I have condemned what Mike Lee did here at home, and I will speak to him about this when I return,' Klobuchar said on MSNBC. 'And what I'm going to tell him is, this isn't funny.'
'This was an incredible woman, her husband, her two kids, yesterday on Father's Day, there was no Father's Day for them,' she said. 'They lost both their parents.'
Lee posted 'This is what happens when Marxists don't get their way' on X Sunday, along with a photo of the suspected shooter released by the FBI, showing a masked man at the door of one of the lawmakers' houses.
Lee followed up with another tweet of the masked photo alongside a headshot of Vance Boelter, the 57-year-old suspect, with the text 'Nightmare on Waltz Street,' an apparent reference to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).
The suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, was charged with murder on Monday for allegedly killing Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband. He is also accused of shooting and injuring another Minnesota state lawmaker and his wife.
He was arrested on Sunday after a massive manhunt tracked Boelter down in Green Isle, not far from his home.
A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from the fake police vehicle that was left at the crime scene, the Associated Press reported. It included prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates and information about health care facilities, officials told the AP.
Klobuchar was close friends with Melissa Hortman, the House speaker who was killed, and said she dined with her on Friday night.
Lee's post quickly drew an online backlash from Democrats.
'It's Father's Day, and you're spending your time tweeting lies about a tragedy to run cover for a right-wing domestic terrorist,' tweeted the official party account. 'Pathetic.'
The account of the Minnesota Democratic-Labor-Party also replied, 'Using Speaker Hortman's murder to spread right-wing lies is evil and vile. Your dishonor will be your legacy.'
Lee only doubled down on the unfounded conspiracies suggesting Boelter was motivated by leftist ideology, a theory also shared by Elon Musk, though evidence has so far pointed to the contrary.
'Marxism is a deadly mental illness,' Lee wrote, pointing to reports that a 'No Kings' protest flyer was found in Boelter's vehicle.
Boelter, who worked for a security company, had been appointed twice to a state economic panel by two Democratic governors, including Walz. But a man who said he was Boelter's former roommate told local news that he was a supporter of President Trump.
Lee's personal account, @BasedMikeLee, frequently engages with users on X promoting right-wing conspiracies.
On his official account, Lee struck a starkly different tone.
'These hateful attacks have no place in Utah, Minnesota, or anywhere in America,' his official account posted on Sunday. 'Please join me in condemning this senseless violence, and praying for the victims and their families.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
27 minutes ago
- The Hill
Democrats call on Rubio to preserve State Department human rights bureau
A group of 10 Democratic senators are urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to save the State Department's human rights arm amid his sweeping reorganization effort. The State Department notified Congress last month that most offices in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) would be shuttered under the current proposal. The DRL's work focuses primarily on pro-democracy efforts in developing countries and autocracies including in Cuba, China, Nicaragua, North Korea, Iran, Russia and Venezuela. 'The proposed reorganization of DRL raises serious concerns about the Department's prioritization of democracy and human rights and the role of DRL in advancing U.S. national security priorities,' the senators wrote in a letter to Rubio, who was a senator for 14 years before President Trump appointed him to be the nation's top diplomat. The senators' letter was dated last Thursday, but it was released to reporters Monday. 'The proposed reorganization would result in a structural and substantive demotion of human rights promotion that runs counter to the spirit of the law and your personal legacy working on these issues,' the senators wrote. The letter was signed by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Chris Coons (Del.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Peter Welch (Vt.). The senators acknowledged in the letter that they were trying to appeal to Rubio's 'longstanding commitment to U.S. support for emerging democracies and the brave dissidents and human rights defenders who challenge authoritarianism across the globe' and pointed to remarks he made in a 2017 Senate subcommittee hearing about the link between international assistance and national security interests. 'As you stated in the subcommittee hearing previously mentioned, 'millions of people around the world who live in societies dominated by fear and oppression look to the United States of America to champion their cause to fully exercise their God-given rights,'' they wrote. 'There are no greater champions more capable of advancing this noble cause than the dedicated staff in DRL.' The State Department didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. Rubio said in a May 29 news release that the departmental overhaul plan was drafted after 'thoughtful and deliberative work' that considered input from lawmakers, long-time employees and others with vested interests. 'The reorganization plan will result in a more agile Department, better equipped to promote America's interests and keep Americans safe across the world,' he said.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon pushed out of NYC City Hall post
NEW YORK — Former Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon was pushed out of his post as an assistant deputy mayor last month, the Daily News has learned. Donlon, who served as the NYPD's top cop for just over two months in 2024, was moved in November into a City Hall role with a steep pay cut in the office of the deputy mayor for public safety after stepping down as interim commissioner. He worked in that job under Deputy Mayor Chauncey Parker and later under Parker's successor, Kaz Daughtry. Parker resigned Feb. 17 along with three other deputy mayors concerned about allegations that Mayor Adams agreed to a quid pro quo with the Trump administration to get tough on illegal immigration in exchange for getting his federal corruption charges dropped. Sources familiar with the sequence said a woman in human resources for the mayor's office abruptly called Donlon on April 24 and told him he was out as of May 9. Donlon, the sources said, asked if he could have that in writing. The unnamed official said he didn't need it. City records show that though Donlon was working in a City Hall post, he was actually 'on loan' from the NYPD as an 'intelligence research manager,' pulling a $240,000 salary. That marked a decrease from the $277,605 salary he collected as interim police commissioner, records confirm. A rep for Donlon declined to comment. Asked about Donlon's termination, Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak said Monday, 'While we don't comment on personnel matters, we are grateful to Tom Donlon's service to New Yorkers.' The NYPD referred a request for comment to the mayor's office. Adams appointed Donlon, a career FBI counterterror expert who investigated the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, as interim police commissioner on Sept. 13 after his predecessor, Edward Caban, resigned suddenly amid a federal probe scrutinizing potential corruption in the NYPD. Donlon's first public appearance as interim commissioner came Sept. 15 when he gave brief remarks after a police officer was shot and wounded in Brownsville, Brooklyn. 'It's unfortunate that I'm here, meeting many of you under these circumstances, but in my 30 years of law enforcement, I've learned that policing is a very, very difficult job,' Donlon told reporters at the time. Donlon's home was raided later that month by FBI agents looking for old documents Donlon may have retained after leaving the FBI. In October, Donlon touted that month's crime stats, crediting the rank and file for their 'laserlike focus' on driving down crime. On Nov. 3, Donlon got into a public shouting match with then-NYPD chief of staff Tarik Sheppard at the New York City Marathon. The duo had to be separated by then-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey who has since resigned over a sex-for-overtime scandal, The News reported. At the time, the reason for the argument was said to relate to a photo op with cops who were running the race, but other sources hinted at a deeper conflict between the men that may have included a power struggle at the top of the NYPD. 'The matter was promptly discussed and resolved,' NYPD Assistant Commissioner Carlos Nieves said at the time. 'The leaders of the NYPD are passionate about their work, and it is that commitment and drive that helps us keep New Yorkers safe every day.' Adams likened the spat to family members fighting. 'Just because you have an argument with your spouse, your child, your business partner, doesn't mean you don't love them,' he said at the time. On Nov. 20, Adams named Jessica Tisch police commissioner and Donlon was moved to the City Hall role, which was described by the mayor as acting as a liaison with federal and state authorities. Adams thanked Donlon upon his exit as commissioner for 'his willingness to quickly come onboard and dedicate day and night to this city.' At City Hall, Donlon moved into a slot previously held by Tim Pearson, a former NYPD inspector and friend to the mayor who also resigned last year in the wake of a corruption scandal and a series of lawsuits accusing him of retaliating against cops who accused him of sexually harassing a subordinate. Donlon's actual duties at City Hill largely involved grant writing, sources said. He also didn't receive any training for the new post, the sources said. His ouster came about seven weeks after Daughtry, a former detective and deputy NYPD commissioner of operations favored by Adams, was appointed to succeed Parker on March 7. The sources said Donlon was told by a City Hall official his firing was 'not for cause,' meaning he didn't do anything wrong to trigger it. He was told the position was being eliminated, the sources said. Sheppard, meanwhile, filed for retirement on April 11. _____
Los Angeles Times
32 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump fires Democratic commissioner of independent agency that oversees nuclear safety
WASHINGTON — President Trump has fired a Democratic commissioner for the federal agency that oversees nuclear safety as he continues to assert more control over independent regulatory agencies. Christopher Hanson, a former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said in a statement Monday that Trump terminated his position as NRC commissioner without cause, 'contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees.' The firing of Hanson comes as Trump seeks to take authority away from the independent safety agency, which has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades. Trump signed executive orders in May intended to quadruple domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years, a goal experts say the United States is highly unlikely to reach. To speed up the development of nuclear power, the orders grant the U.S. Energy secretary authority to approve some advanced reactor designs and projects. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in an emailed statement that 'all organizations are more effective when leaders are rowing in the same direction' and that the Republican president reserves the right to 'remove employees within his own executive branch.' Trump fired two of the three Democratic commissioners at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an independent federal agency responsible for enforcing federal laws that prohibit discrimination in the workplace. In a similar move, two National Labor Relations Board members were fired. Willie Phillips, a Democratic member and former chairman of the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, stepped down in April, telling reporters that the White House asked him to do so. Trump also signed an executive order to give the White House direct control of independent federal regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, called Hanson's firing illegal and another attempt by Trump to undermine independent agencies and consolidate power in the White House. 'Congress explicitly created the NRC as an independent agency, insulated from the whims of any president, knowing that was the only way to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the American people,' Pallone said in a statement. Senate Democrats also said Trump overstepped his authority. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, Patty Murray and Martin Heinrich said in a joint statement that 'Trump's lawlessness' threatens the commission's ability to ensure that nuclear power plants and nuclear materials are safe and free from political interference. Hanson was nominated to the commission by Trump in 2020. He was appointed chair by former President Biden in January 2021 and served in that role until Trump's inauguration to a second term as president. Trump selected David Wright, a Republican member of the commission, to serve as chair. Hanson continued to serve on the NRC as a commissioner. His term was due to end in 2029. Wright's term expires on June 30. The White House has not said if he will be reappointed. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, called Hanson a dedicated public servant and a strong supporter of the NRC's public health and safety mission. Firing Hanson is Trump's 'latest outrageous move to undermine the independence and integrity' of the agency that protects the U.S. homeland from nuclear power plant disasters, Lyman said in a statement. The NRC confirmed Hanson's service ended on Friday, bringing the panel to two Democrats and two Republicans. The commission has functioned in the past with fewer than the required five commissioners and will continue to do so, the statement said. McDermott and Daly write for the Associated Press. McDermott reported from Providence, R.I.
