Klobuchar on Minnesota shooter's motivation: There's ‘some throughline with abortion'
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said the deadly shooting of state Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband on Saturday was politically motivated, noting that there was some 'throughline with abortion' after his list of targets was found to include abortion advocates and facilities.
'Clearly, this is politically motivated,' she told NBC's 'Meet The Press' host Kristen Welker on Sunday when asked about a possible motive for the suspected shooter, who was identified as Vance Boelter, 57. He also shot state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, who were wounded.
Klobuchar mentioned Boelter's list of targets, which was found in his car. The list included 'prominent pro-choice individuals in Minnesota, including many Democratic lawmakers who have been outspoken about pro-choice policy positions,' an official who has seen the list told The Hill's sister network NewsNation.
'It was politically motivated, and there clearly was some throughline with abortion because of the groups that were on the list, and other things that I've heard were in this manifesto. So that was one of his motivations,' she said.
Klobuchar noted that investigators are also looking into any possible interaction between the lawmakers and Boelter prior to the shooting.
'But again, they're also checking out, did he have interaction somehow with these without legislators? Is there more to this?' she said.
However, Klobuchar advised viewers not to speculate and let police 'do their jobs.'
'They obviously have information we don't have,' the Democratic Senator said. 'And so what we've been trying to do as political leaders is make really clear we will have plenty of time to analyze what happened here, but right now it is trying to report any sighting of this person, and to be very careful, and to listen to what law enforcement says. Because the advice has changed for obvious reasons over time. And that is what we have to do right now.'
Her comments come after the FBI announced that it launched a manhunt for Boelter. Additionally, a $50,000 award is being offered for information leading to his arrest and conviction in the shooting.
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Hortman, 55, had been the top Democratic leader in the state House since 2017. She led Democrats in a three-week walkout at the beginning of this year's session in a power struggle with Republicans. Under a power-sharing agreement, she turned the gavel over to Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth and assumed the title speaker emerita. Hortman used her position as speaker in 2023 to champion expanded protections for abortion rights, including legislation to solidify Minnesota's status as a refuge for patients from restrictive states who travel to the state to seek abortions — and to protect providers who serve them. The couple had two adult children. Hoffman, 60, was first elected in 2012 and was chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, which oversees one of the biggest parts of the state budget. He and his wife have one adult daughter.
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Advertisement Authorities said that they discovered writings in Boelter's car that gave 'indications' of what could have driven him to carry out the attacks, but that it would be premature to give an exact motive. They also found several fliers for the 'No Kings' movement protesting President Donald Trump, which prompted the cancellation of local 'No Kings' demonstrations Saturday. A list discovered in the vehicle named prominent abortion rights advocates in Minnesota, including many Democratic lawmakers who have been outspoken about the issue, according to a person who had seen the list and spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation. Advertisement The office of Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) confirmed her name was on the list. The suspected gunman works for a Twin Cities-area armed home security company called Praetorian Guard Security Services, serving as its director of security patrols, according to the company's website. His bio on the site said he had received training from private security firms and from 'people in the U.S. Military' and had 'been involved with security situations in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, including the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.' Authorities said they were aware of the suspected gunman's potential background in security services. 'Certainly, an individual would have some familiarity, if that's the line of work that they're in, with some of the tactics' used in the shootings, said Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The gunman was said to have been dressed as a law enforcement officer and opened fire on the actual police officers who were called to Hortman's home after she was shot. A black SUV that was altered to look like a police vehicle - complete with emergency lights and a license plate that read 'POLICE' - was towed away from Hortman's home Saturday. The website for Praetorian Guard Security Services notes that its guards wear 'the best personal protective equipment that money can buy' and drive Ford Explorer SUVs, the same vehicle make and model used by many police departments in the United States. Boelter's wife, Jenny, is listed as the resident agent for the company, according to business filings. Attempts to reach her Saturday were unsuccessful. Advertisement The suspect's online presence indicated he is well traveled and connected to several religious groups. He is listed on federal tax forms as the president of a Minnesota-based nonprofit called You Give Them Something to Eat - an apparent reference to the biblical episode in which Jesus feeds a large crowd with two fish and five loaves of bread. The organization's tax forms report no income or spending. Tax records also appear to show that the suspected gunman and his wife once led another nonprofit known as Revoformation Ministries. An archived version of its website calls the suspect 'Reverend' and says he was ordained in 1993. 'Prior to 9-11, Vance had already made several trips to violent areas in the Gaza Strip and West Bank where suicide bombings were taking place,' the site said. 'He sought out militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn't the answer.' In recent years, the suspected gunman worked in Africa and sought to spread Christianity to 'Islamic militants,' according to his LinkedIn profile and other traces of his activity online. Two years ago, he posted on LinkedIn that he was working in the Democratic Republic of Congo as CEO of a company called Red Lion Group. His post referred to multiple trips to the country, as well as to Washington, where he said he was working with the country's ambassador to the United States. In a video posted to YouTube that shows the suspected gunman preaching to a large church in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he urges the congregants to embrace Christian joy even in difficult times. He shared a story about being at his mother's home in Minnesota when he learned that a friend doing missionary work in Zimbabwe had been murdered there. Advertisement 'Even though that hurt, I knew Jesus, and I knew my friend knew Jesus,' the suspect told the crowd. 'I knew he was in heaven.' In another post, shared around 2019, he encouraged friends and colleagues to vote in unspecified upcoming U.S. elections. 'I have been in several countries where people don't have the ability to vote for who their leaders are. I will just say they were not places that anyone of us would want to live in if we had any choice in the matter,' he wrote. 'For those of you that I'm connected with that are not in the United States, if you believe in prayer, please keep the United States in your prayers. I think the election is going to have more of an impact on the direction of our country than probably any election we have been apart of, or will be apart of for years to come.' The suspect worked for several large food companies during the past 25 years, including Nestlé and Gerber, Johnsonville Sausage and Del Monte, according to his LinkedIn profile. Minnesota governors appointed him at least twice to serve on the Governor's Workforce Development Board, an advisory group on which Hoffman also served. Gov. Mark Dayton (D) appointed the suspect to the board in 2016, and Gov. Tim Walz (D) did the same in 2019. The 2019 nomination said he lived in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, south of St. Paul, while the 2016 appointment said he was living in Shakopee, Minnesota, about 20 miles to the west. Advertisement The suspect sometimes stayed at a house in North Minneapolis, according to the owner of the residence. A Minneapolis City Council member told constituents that police searched the house Saturday. David Carlson, who also lives in the house, said he received text messages from Boelter this weekend saying he would be 'gone for a while.' Carlson said he read the messages to reporters, instead of sending screenshots, because he didn't want the suspect's wife to see the images of the texts on television. 'David and Ron, I love you guys,' the messages said, according to local news reports. 'I made some choices, and you guys don't know anything about this, but I'm going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way.' In a brief interview, Carlson called what happened in Minneapolis 'a tragedy.' 'It's a tragedy. That's all I've got to say. Tragedy all around,' he said. Tobi Raji and Dylan Wells in Washington, Holly Bailey in Atlanta and Patrick Marley in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
