Latest news with #SenateX
NBC News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Sen. Mike Lee deletes social media posts about the Minnesota shootings after facing criticism
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, removed posts on his personal X account about Saturday's fatal attack on a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband after he faced fierce backlash from Democrats. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., who was friends with the slain lawmaker, told reporters Monday that she confronted Lee about his post. 'I needed him to hear from me directly what impact I think his cruel statement had on me, his colleague,' she said. Lee had written in one post about the Saturday assassination of Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, that 'this is what happens When Marxists don't get their way.' In another, he posted a photo of the suspect and captioned it "Nightmare on Waltz Street," an apparent reference to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Several Democrats had called on Lee to take down the posts, which he'd published Saturday and Sunday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said at a news conference Tuesday that he asked Lee to remove them and that "he wouldn't listen to me." Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told reporters she also spoke to Lee about his posts, but she declined to divulge details of their conversation. 'Sen. Lee and I had a good discussion, and I'm very glad he took it down,' said Klobuchar, who has a relationship with Lee from years of working together on the Judiciary Committee. Smith said Tuesday she was "glad" the posts were removed, "but I haven't heard anything from him about why he took them down, and I certainly didn't hear an apology." Some of Lee's posts were still visible Tuesday afternoon, including one from Saturday night that said, 'Marxism kills.' On Lee's official Senate X account, his posts struck a different tone. "These hateful attacks have no place in Utah, Minnesota, or anywhere in America. Please join me in condemning this senseless violence, and praying for the victims and their families," he wrote. Prosecutors said the suspect, Vance Boelter, is also responsible for the nonfatal shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said Boelter's car had notebooks with the names of more than 45 state and federal elected officials, and the federal criminal complaint against him says officials named in the notebooks were 'mostly or all Democrats.' Lee did not answer NBC News' questions about the posts Monday, and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about why they were taken down Tuesday. Smith spoke to Lee on Monday and later told reporters she'd felt compelled to confront him about the posts. 'I wanted him to know how much pain that caused me and the other people in my state and I think around the country who think that this was a brutal attack,' Smith told reporters in the Capitol. Smith's deputy chief of staff, Ed Shelleby, also lambasted the posts in an email to Lee's office shared with NBC News. 'Is this how your team measures success? Using the office of US Senator to post not just one but a series of jokes about an assassination—is that a successful day of work on Team Lee?" Shelleby wrote. Dareh Gregorian Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News. Brennan Leach, Sahil Kapur, Gabrielle Khoriaty, Kyle Stewart and Amanda Terkel contributed.
UPI
8 hours ago
- Politics
- UPI
Trump refuses to call Minnesota Gov. Walz after deadly lawmaker shootings
June 17 (UPI) -- After a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were shot to death over the weekend in a "politically motivated assassination," President Donald Trump defied tradition and insisted Tuesday he would not be calling Gov. Tim Walz because "he's a mess." While Trump shared his condolences for state Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as well as a speedy recovery for state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who were both injured in a separate shooting, he told reporters he had no plans to call the governor and former Democratic vice presidential nominee. "I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I'm not calling," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "Why would I call him?" "The guy doesn't have a clue. He's a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call, but why waste time?" the president added. Gov. Walz's office responded to Trump's remarks, saying the focus should remain on the families. "Gov. Walz wishes that President Trump would be a president for all Americans, but this tragedy isn't about Trump or Walz. It's about the Hortman family, the Hoffman family and the state of Minnesota, and the governor remains focused on helping all three heal," a spokesperson wrote Tuesday in a statement. Walz's office said former President Joe Biden called the governor immediately after the attack, which is traditional for sitting presidents in the event of a tragedy, regardless of the party. Vice President JD Vance also called Walz and is the only member of the Trump administration to reach out to the governor after the shooting, according to Walz's office. During the conversation, the vice president and governor discussed federal law enforcement's coordinated work with Minnesota public safety officials in the search for the suspect, who was arrested Sunday. Meantime, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah removed posts about the deadly shootings from his personal X account Tuesday, after facing backlash from Democrats. In one post, Lee wrote "this is what happens when Marxists don't get their way," And in another, with a photo of suspect Vance Boelter, Lee wrote "Nightmare on Waltz Street," in what Democrats insisted was a reference to Gov. Walz. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the now-deleted posts "disgusting." While several posts were deleted, one from Saturday remains, which says, "Marxism kills" in caption to a photo of the suspect. Lee's Senate X account shows a more restrained, professional response as he condemned the shootings. "These hateful attacks have no place in Utah, Minnesota or anywhere in America," Lee wrote. "Please join me in condemning this senseless violence and praying for the victims and their families."
NBC News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Sen. Mike Lee deletes social media posts about the Minnesota shooting after facing criticism
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, removed posts on his personal X account about Saturday's fatal attack on a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband after facing fierce backlash from Democrats about the postings. Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat who was friends with the slain lawmaker, told reporters on Monday that she confronted Lee about his tweet. 'I needed him to hear from me directly what impact I think his cruel statement had on me, his colleague,' she said. Lee had written in one post about the Saturday assassination of Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, that 'this is what happens When Marxists don't get their way.' In another, he posted a photo of the suspect in the case and captioned it, "Nightmare on Waltz Street," an apparent reference to the state's Democratic governor, Tim Walz. Several Democrats had called on Lee to take down the posts, which he'd posted on Saturday and Sunday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said at a press conference Tuesday he asked Lee to remove them and "he wouldn't listen to me." Some of Lee's posts about the shooting were still visible as of Tuesday afternoon, including one from Saturday night that said, 'Marxism kills.' On Lee's official Senate X account, his posts struck a different tone. "These hateful attacks have no place in Utah, Minnesota, or anywhere in America. Please join me in condemning this senseless violence, and praying for the victims and their families," he wrote. Prosecutors said the suspect, Vance Boelter, is also responsible for the non-fatal shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said Boelter's car had notebooks with the names of more than 45 state and federal elected officials, and the federal criminal complaint against him says officials named in the notebooks were 'mostly or all Democrats.' Lee did not answer questions about the posts from NBC News on Monday, and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about why they were taken down on Tuesday. Smith spoke to Lee on Monday and later told reporters she'd felt compelled to confront him about the posts. 'I wanted him to know how much pain that caused me and the other people in my state and I think around the country, who think that this was a brutal attack,' Smith told reporters in the Capitol on Monday. Smith's deputy chief of staff, Ed Shelleby, also lambasted the posts in an email to Lee's office shared with NBC News. 'Is this how your team measures success? Using the office of US Senator to post not just one but a series of jokes about an assassination—is that a successful day of work on Team Lee?," Shelleby wrote.
