Klobuchar: ‘People need to call people out'
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said the assassination of her longtime friend and former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman should be a wake-up call as the country grapples with a particularly fraught political climate — and an uptick in violence against elected officials.
On Friday night, just hours before Hortman and her husband were killed in their home by a gunman, she and Klobuchar had dinner together at an event in Minneapolis.
'People need to call people out,' Klobuchar told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday on 'State of the Union.' 'Some people need to look in the mirror and say, 'Hey, I've got to stop this or stop my colleagues from doing this because it makes it much worse.' We need to bring the tone down, and we also need to stand up when people do bad things.'
A gunman early on Saturday entered the homes of Hortman and State Sen. John Hoffman, both Democrats, shooting them and their respective spouses. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are recovering, Klobuchar said. Authorities are searching for 57-year-old Vance Boelter, who they say is the suspect in the attacks.
Hoffman entered politics, Klobuchar told NBC's Kristen Welker, to advocate for his daughter's spina bifida.
'What I know about them is that they are hanging in there,' she said to Welker on 'Meet the Press.' 'His wife was out of surgery first, and she's actually texted some of our mutual friends. And he may face some additional surgeries, but he is also in stable condition right now from what I know.'
Lawmakers throughout Minnesota were reeling on Saturday. Gov. Tim Walz urged people not to attend 'No Kings' demonstrations in the state, and Klobuchar told Bash she and other Minnesota leaders were given added security, something that Democratic Sen. Tina Smith also stated on CNN's 'Inside Politics.'
Democrats and Republicans alike in Minnesota's congressional delegation banded together to condemn the violent killings in a statement spearheaded by Klobuchar and senior Republican House Rep. Tom Emmer. 'There is no place in our democracy for politically-motivated violence,' the statement read.
And in the meantime, Klobuchar continues to process the loss of a colleague she had known for decades.
'This is a person that did everything for the right reasons and regardless of political parties, just look at her face and think about that before you send out your next post, or before you say something that isn't just about your views,' Klobuchar told Bash. 'People can have different views on things, but remember that our democracy is something to cherish, and public service is a worthy thing to do.'
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