Tina Smith, on a Hit List in Minnesota, Speaks Out on Political Violence
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Congress holds emergency security briefings after Minnesota lawmaker attacks
On Tuesday, June 17, senators received a high-level security briefing from U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms. The briefing is a direct response to last weekend’s deadly attack on Minnesota lawmakers, which has reignited fears about rising political violence. Members of Congress have access to some federal security resources, but those protections often don’t extend to state or local lawmakers. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a former state legislator and governor, said it’S not always feasible to provide regular protection at the state level. In 2024, the U.N. Security Council will hold a summit on the threat of terrorism.
What do we know about the attacks?
The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, faces charges in connection with the killing of Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife during a targeted home invasion.
Authorities reported that Boelter was disguised as a police officer, wearing a tactical vest and body armor. They stated he had a hit list targeting more than 45 Democratic officials, including U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and state Reps. Hillary Scholten and Greg Landsman.
Investigators claimed Boelter had been planning the attacks for a while, driving to several lawmakers’ homes equipped with assault weapons, disguises and detailed surveillance notes.
Why hold a briefing?
Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and John Thune, who are also evaluating security support for members facing threats, requested the briefing.
Schumer said Sunday, June 15, that the bipartisan briefing would address security for Senate members and the country as a whole.
“We have to reevaluate how we are protecting members of Congress and staff in the face of rising threats, but we also have to look at protecting all American people as that happens,” he said.
What about the House?
During this week’s House recess, members will receive a virtual briefing on Tuesday, June 17, from the House Sergeant at Arms, as reported by CBS News. This briefing has been arranged by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Concerns over growing political violence
The shootings in Minnesota have raised concerns about increasing threats of political violence and the safety of elected officials.
In 2024, the U.S. Capitol Police’s Threat Assessment cases increased for the second consecutive year, with over 9,400 concerning statements and direct threats investigated against members of Congress, their families and staff.
Is security for state lawmakers realistic?
While members of Congress have access to some federal security resources, those protections often don’t extend to state or local lawmakers. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a former state legislator and governor, said it’s not always feasible to provide regular protection at the state level.
He mentioned that Capitol Police usually authorize enhanced security for House members and Senators only “when there is a known threat.”
As threats have increased, members of Congress have gained access to new funding to enhance security at their personal homes. However, lawmakers from both parties have repeatedly called for Congress to permit them to spend more money on personal security.
State & Federal Charges In Minnesota
Vance Boelter was arrested in connection with the shooting deaths and attempted murders of two Minnesota state representatives and their spouses. The right-wing news echo chamber had been full of claims the shooter was a Democrat, which turned out to be false. The point is that political violence is never acceptable, no matter who perpetrates it or who the victim is. But that sentiment does not seem to hold on the Republican side of the aisle. The district attorney in Hennepin County said in a press conference this morning that she will seek first-degree murder charges from the grand jury after reviewing the evidence. If we tolerate this, then we are accelerating our slide down the slippery slope towards banana republic status, a country where politicians and judges are always at risk and good people begin to walk away from government. It’s a good reminder to all of us to focus on what really matters—protecting democracy, not hyper-partisanship. It’s never acceptable. Even if—perhaps especially if—it is perpetrated by people whose views are aligned with your own, you should call it out.
All afternoon, the right-wing news echo chamber had been full of claims the shooter was a Democrat, which turned out to be false. Conservative personality and Trump supporter Laura Loomer tweeted that the shooter had been appointed to a state commission by Minnesota’s Governor, the former Democratic Vice Presidential nominee. “Tim Walz’s goons are now assassinating law makers who support legislation Walz opposes.” Reducing this to politics misses the key point: political violence is never acceptable, no matter who perpetrates it or who the victim is. But that sentiment does not seem to hold on the Republican side of the aisle.
Take Utah Senator Mike Lee, who also seemed to think the shooter was a Democrat, or as Lee put it, a “Marxist.” (Walz once appointed Boelter to a low-level board in the state that was required to include both Republicans and Democrats.)
So, it turns out that the MAGA news bubble got it wrong and that Boelter is a Trump supporter and a Trump voter, possibly with strong anti-abortion views. On Sunday, a longtime friend told CNN Boelter was a conservative who was strongly against abortion rights.
But that really isn’t the point. The point is that political violence is never acceptable. Even if—perhaps especially if—it is perpetrated by people whose views are aligned with your own, you should call it out. It is never acceptable. Period.
Police officers found a hit list with nearly 70 names on it in Boelter’s car. Most of the people he included are Democrats or people who support abortion rights. That includes Minnesota lawmakers Representative Ilhan Omar and Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar. Violence is never the answer, whether it is an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate or the murder of sitting members of a state legislature. If we tolerate this, then we are accelerating our slide down the slippery slope towards banana republic status, a country where politicians and judges are always at risk and good people begin to walk away from government.
It’s a good reminder to all of us to focus on what really matters—protecting democracy, not hyper-partisanship. Politicians and others who get facts wrong have an obligation to go back and clear it up, but I’ve not seen that yet. Senator Tina Smith reportedly pulled Lee out of a meeting to express her feelings about his social media posts. Her chief of staff, Ed Shelleby, sent a deeply moving letter to Senator Lee’s office. Shelleby wrote candidly from a place of “enormous grief,” decrying the jokey memes Lee had posted on social media over the weekend as painful, and asking, “Have you absolutely no conscience? No decency?”
Charges have now been filed against Boelter in both the state and federal systems. In both cases, the charges were made via a complaint signed by prosecutors. They will be superseded by grand jury charges.
The state complaint charges Boelter with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the second degree. Second-degree murder in the state (each state’s laws are different, although there is some carryover) means an intentional killing that wasn’t premeditated. But the district attorney in Hennepin County said in a press conference this morning that she will seek first-degree murder charges from the grand jury after reviewing the evidence. First-degree premeditated murder charges require an indictment by a grand jury, which is why the complaint charges second-degree murder.
The statement of probable cause, a type of affidavit that accompanies the state complaint, is bare bones, reflecting two separate crime scenes:
Residence 1: At approximately 2:05 a.m., Champlin Police officers responded to a shooting after a 911 caller reported that a masked person had come to their door and then shot their parents. This was the Hoffman’s home, where both victims survived the shooting. (Although not reflected in this document, there was subsequent reporting that Yvette Hoffman saved her 20-year-old daughter’s life by covering her with her own body. It was the daughter who called 911.) There is video surveillance footage showing the police-style vehicle Boelter drove and the police uniform he was wearing. He knocked and announced himself as a police officer before entering the home and shooting the Hoffmans. He fled the home in the police-style vehicle.
Residence 2: A Brooklyn Park Police Department officer learned about the shooting a short time later, and because one of the victims was a state legislator, police sent patrol officers to the Hoffmans’ home. Tragically, they arrived in time to see Boelter, still dressed as a police officer, shoot Mr. Hortman through the open door of the home. Police exchanged gunfire with him, and he fled into the residence before escaping. Both of the Hortmans died from their wounds. A search of Boelter’s vehicle yielded what police characterized as “at least” three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm handgun, and his hit list, including names and addresses. A ballistic vest, a disassembled 9mm firearm, a mask, and a gold police-style badge were found nearby. The footage permitted positive identification of Boelter.
There is also a federal complaint, based on a 20-page affidavit. That affidavit and a statement issued by federal prosecutors provide more information than the state’s papers do. The affidavit contains more details about Boelter’s conduct at the victims’ homes and also reflects that he made two other efforts to reach state officials’ homes, failing in one case because the individual was on vacation and on the other because he couldn’t get access to the home.
The federal charges include stalking, which can be punished with the death penalty if a death results from the commission of the crime, as well as two firearms related crimes: using a firearm to commit a murder involving stalking and discharging a firearm in relation to a stalking crime.
It’s not clear why there are federal charges at this stage in what is primarily a state crime. Often, the feds will obtain an indictment as a backup in case anything goes astray in the state case. Here, they obtained an Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP) warrant, a device often used by federal agents to assist state partners in arresting a fugitive from state charges who has fled out of state. Because warrants are frequently only effective in-state, the UFAP warrants are used. They are frequently worked out of fugitive task forces led by United States Marshals working with state and local counterparts and are usually dismissed in favor of the state charges once the fugitive is caught. Minnesota was able to obtain an all-states warrant, which would have let officials who laid hands on Boelter anywhere in the country arrest him, so it’s unclear why the federal warrant was in place too. It’s possible, because the timeline isn’t well established, that it came first.
State prosecutors handle murder cases far more frequently than their federal counterparts and are often more experienced in prosecuting murder cases. But Federal cases tend to move more quickly. It’s unclear what the agreement between the two jurisdictions is as to who will go first. Typically, you would expect to see the Justice Department defer to state prosecutors in a case like this one, where the victims are state officials and they have that interest to vindicate.
Tonight, what matters the most is that a dangerous fugitive is in custody. But we will all grieve the political violence and the loss of two lives, people who just sought to serve their country, for a long time to come.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, understanding how the legal process unfolds matters more than ever. Civil Discourse will offer clear, informed analysis of the charges, the prosecution, and what it reveals about our system of justice. If you value this kind of reporting, your support helps make it possible. I appreciate your paid subscriptions, which make it possible for me to devote time and resources to the newsletter; more than anything, I value your commitment to being educated about how our democracy works, which is why the newsletter will always remain free.
We’re in this together,
Joyce
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GOP senator deletes inflammatory social media posts about Minnesota shootings
Republican Sen. Mike Lee deleted a series of inflammatory social media posts from over the weekend. The posts prompted a confrontation with one of the state’s Democratic US senators. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has said the attack was a “politically motivated assassination.” The shootings have reignited the long-standing question of how to ensure the safety of 535 US lawmakers and their families with limited resources in an increasingly toxic political environment.. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut added to the criticism Tuesday while speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill after a briefing on lawmaker safety. Sen. Amy Klobuchar echoed her fellow Minnesota Democrat, saying she was “very glad he took it down.’ ‘I feel that a lot of the MAGA rhetoric is an accelerant to this kind of political violence that is burning and metastasizing in our society,’ Blumenthal said. “I have not heard anything from him about whether he regrets doing that,” Smith said.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee on Tuesday deleted a series of inflammatory social media posts from over the weekend on the deadly attacks in Minnesota, prompting a confrontation with one of the state’s Democratic US senators.
Lee provoked controversy when he made a series of posts on X speculating about the political affiliations of the alleged shooter. In one post he wrote, “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way.” And in another he appeared to link the suspect to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, posting: “Nightmare on Waltz Street.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the posts no longer appeared on Lee’s X profile. CNN has reached out to Lee’s office for comment.
The Utah senator’s posts — made in the wake of the shootings that targeted Minnesota state representatives and their families, prompting concerns about lawmaker safety — ignited a firestorm of criticism. And Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota confronted Lee about his rhetoric on Monday.
“I told him that I thought it was brutal and cruel. He should think about the implications of what he’s saying and doing,” Smith said Monday evening. “It just further fuels this hatred and misinformation.”
Both of the Democratic senators from Minnesota said Tuesday they were glad Lee had deleted the inflammatory social media posts but continued to voice concerns about escalated political rhetoric — and Smith suggested that further apologies were needed.
“I was glad that I had a chance to speak with him directly. I’m also glad that he took those posts down. I have not heard anything from him about whether he regrets doing that,” Smith told reporters, adding she was interested in what he has to say to the families of those shot.
Asked whether Lee had indicated in his conversation with her Monday that he would take down the posts, Smith replied, “No, he did not say. I mean, I think he listened to me; I think he was honestly sort of surprised to be confronted in this way.”
Speaking at a Tuesday news conference with members of her party, Sen. Amy Klobuchar echoed her fellow Minnesota Democrat, saying she was “very glad he took it down.”
Klobuchar and Lee had a “good conversation” Tuesday morning, the Minnesota senator’s office told CNN.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also weighed in at the news conference, arguing that the violence “didn’t happen by accident,” while criticizing “the kind of rhetoric that we hear some in the hard right use.”
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut added to the criticism Tuesday while speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill after a briefing on lawmaker safety.
“I feel that a lot of the MAGA rhetoric is an accelerant to this kind of political violence that is burning and metastasizing in our society. And adding fuel to the fire is really irresponsible on the part of not just people in public life, but people who are members of these fringe groups that are increasingly a threat,” Blumenthal said, without naming Lee.
As CNN reported, the shootings have reignited the long-standing question of how to ensure the safety of 535 US lawmakers and their families with limited resources in an increasingly toxic political environment.
State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in the weekend shootings, while state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were injured.
Authorities are still piecing together evidence on a possible motive, but Walz has said the attack was a “politically motivated assassination.” The suspect had an apparent hit list of nearly 70 targets.
Asked Tuesday by reporters whether she was concerned about her own security in light of shootings, Smith said that “we are at a moment right now where this uptick in political violence and politically motivated attacks is definitely concerning.”
“You probably couldn’t find a senator who hasn’t received some sort of a death threat or certainly serious threat, so the ratcheting up of this hatred and violence is certainly concerning, and I worry about myself and my family and I worry about my colleagues and I worry about my staff in Minnesota in our office there,” she continued.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Manu Raju and Alison Main contributed to this report.
Here’s What We Know About The Minnesota Shooting Suspect’s List Of Names
Officials found notebooks referencing at least 45 state and federal elected officials in the car of suspected Minnesota shooter Vance Boelter. Several prominent Minnesota politicians, including U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D) and Tina Smith (D), as well as Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison confirmed to The New York Timesthat they had been mentioned in the writings. The names were scattered across sheafs of notes, officials said, and it is too early to disclose a motive. The attacks have raised concerns about the prevalence of political violence, with several lawmakers beefing up their security or canceling events this week. The FBI has signaled that some of the names may have been mentioning in notes that they didn’t think were a “hit list but a rambling of a conspiracy,” he said. The suspect visited the homes of “no less than four elected officials” and that “he had a list of other officials, their home addresses.”
Officers found notebooks referencing at least 45 state and federal elected officials in the car of suspected Minnesota shooter Vance Boelter, according to Joseph Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota.
The names included “dozens and dozens” of Democratic lawmakers, Thompson said during a Monday press briefing. “There were some abortion rights supporters, I believe, on the list,” he added.
Several prominent Minnesota politicians, including U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D) and Tina Smith (D), as well as Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison confirmed to The New York Timesthat they had been mentioned in the writings.According to the Times and Axios, Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig were among the Minnesota politicians who were also listed, while other Democrats, including Sen. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), and Reps. Debbie Dingell (Mich.), Hillary Scholten (Mich.), Joyce Beatty (Ohio), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Greg Landsman (Ohio), Shri Thanedar (Mich.) and Veronica Escobar (Texas) were referenced as well.
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As Smith told the Times, abortion providers in Minnesota were included in the writings, too.
Both CNN and The New York Times have described the documents as an apparent list of potential targets, citing information from law enforcement officials. As Thanedar told The Detroit News, the FBI has signaled that some of the names may have been mentioned in notes that they didn’t think were a “hit list but a rambling of a conspiracy,” he said.
Thompson and other officials stated they hadn’t found a traditional manifesto as part of the writings and that the names were scattered across sheafs of notes. As a result, they said, they didn’t yet have a total number of people who were referenced because certain lawmakers were mentioned repeatedly in different documents. Both the CNN and Times estimated the number around 70 people.
“I do want to continue to clarify, this is not a list of people that was in a numerical order and some sort of ranking. These are names that are being developed as we are looking at this across multiple writings,” Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said in the briefing.
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Thompson noted the main information they have at this point is that the suspect visited the homes of “no less than four elected officials” and that “he had a list of other officials, their home addresses.”
He said documents showed the suspect had done extensive research including surveilling lawmakers’ homes and investigating their family members.
“He had many, many notebooks full of plans, lists of names, surveillance, efforts he took to surveil and locate the home addresses and family members,” Thompson said.
Given the information authorities currently have, however, it is too early to disclose a motive, Thompson said.
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Boelter was captured by law enforcement Sunday night and is a suspect in the killing of state Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, Mark Hortman, and in the shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman.
These attacks have raised concerns about the prevalence of political violence, with several lawmakers mentioned on the list beefing up their security or canceling events this week.
“After being made aware that my name was on a list connected to the recent tragic shooting in Minnesota, my office has made the difficult decision to postpone our planned town hall in Muskegon,” Scholten said in a Monday statement, adding that she is focused on preserving law enforcement resources.
“I never thought I’d have to spend the weekend holed up in my basement wearing a panic button with law enforcement stationed outside my home and my name on a list for targeted assassination,” Morrison told HuffPost in a statement. “We cannot live in a country where our elected representatives need security detail simply to survive.”
Planned Parenthood told Mother Jones it’s coordinating “with local law enforcement to increase patrols at all of our facilities” as it works to keep clinics open.
“We Loved Her”: MN AG Keith Ellison Mourns His Friend Melissa Hortman, Slams Republican Rhetoric
Vance Boelter is accused of killing Minnesota state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home. He is also accused of shooting state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. A vigil was held Monday in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, to honor the victims. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says Hortman was a powerful political leader and a good person because she understood some basic things about life in our society. He says she was always on the right side of the issues, had a strong moral compass, but was always pragmatic and willing to reach across the aisle and try to come up with some solutions that work for everyone. She was fiercely polite, always fighting for people, always polite, she was really funny, by the way, she had a smile that would up any room that would be lit up by her sense of humor, and I just am really going to miss her and everybody here will, too, for a long, long time to come. The charges against the alleged assassin are murder and stalking.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
We turn now to Minnesota, where federal and state officials have announced murder and stalking charges against Vance Boelter, the suspect accused of assassinating Democratic state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home, as well as for shooting state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Joseph Thompson is acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota.
JOSEPH THOMPSON: Political assassinations are rare. They strike at the very core of our democracy. But the details of Boelter’s crime are even worse. They are truly chilling. It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Boelter stalked his victims like prey. He went to their homes, held himself out as a police officer and shot them in cold blood.
AMY GOODMAN: Authorities say Boelter first shot the Hoffmans multiple times, then went to two other lawmakers’ homes — one wasn’t home — before he then killed the House speaker emerita and her husband. They also discovered a hit list that included Planned Parenthood centers and the names of many Democratic politicians, including Minnesota Senator Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
A vigil was held Monday in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, to honor the victims. After the shootings, many recommended the Minneapolis No Kings rally Saturday be canceled, since No Kings signs were found in the suspect’s car, and people were concerned that since he was still on the loose on Saturday, he could attack the protest. But thousands gathered anyway on the state Capitol steps, including one of the Democratic officials on the hit list, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: She was a powerful political leader and a good person because she understood some basic things about life in our society. She understood that everyone is entitled to due process. … She understood that kids learn better on a full stomach, so she fought for universal school meals.
AMY GOODMAN: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joins us now for more.
Attorney General, our deepest condolences to you, to Minnesota. So many across the political spectrum loved the state House speaker emerita, Melissa Hortman, and her husband. If you can talk about who she was and also the charges that have been brought against the alleged assassin?
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Well, I met her before either one of us were in politics. Melissa Hortman was a Legal Aid lawyer. When I met her, she was representing a tenant, an African American woman, mother of three, who had been the target of discrimination and abuse by her landlord. It was alleged that the landlord would say things like, “Hey, girls don’t have to pay rent if they’re nice.” And this particular tenant was very lucky to have Melissa Hortman as her lawyer, who fought and won a very large judgment against this landlord. I actually represented that same client in another matter, and so Melissa and I got to know each other.
I went to the state Legislature. She went. And we got to be really good friends. And she was always on the right side of the issues, had a strong moral compass, but was always pragmatic and willing to reach across the aisle and try to come up with some solutions that work for everyone. And she rose to the level of speaker. I went on to the U.S. Congress, as you know, Amy. And I got to admit, I tried to convince her to run in the 3rd Congressional District, but she said, “No, I’m here in Minnesota. I’m going to stay here in Minnesota and serve the state of Minnesota. I don’t have any aspirations for Washington.”
And she did a wonderful job. She helped lead on the issue of the child tax credit, universal school meals, driver’s license for everybody, paid sick and family leave in the state of Minnesota, and also expansions in healthcare, prescription drug pricing. She just was dedicated to trying to make people’s lives easier, and she was pretty effective at it. She also knew that sometimes she had to take the hard vote, and she did, because she knew she had to land that budget negotiation. But right up until we lost her, she was fiercely fighting for people, always polite, always kind. And by the way, she was really funny, and she had a smile that would light up any room. But she had a great sense of humor, was sort of a joker and could lighten the mood with her sense of humor. I just am really going to miss her, and I know everybody will here. We loved her. She was the best.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, Attorney General, could you talk to us about this climate of political violence, not only in your state, but that has been spreading the past few years across the country, and what can be done to change that?
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Well, Juan, you and I and Amy all will remember what happened to Paul Pelosi, a horrific attack on him and Nancy Pelosi’s home. We’ll remember as far back as even the Murrah Building bombing in 1995. We will remember — and these are domestic attacks.
And then, I mean, to add to it, just the rhetoric of the president is very violent, and it opens the door for the jostling and throwing around of Senator Padilla, not to mention the threats against Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass, not to mention the unlawful arrest of Mayor Baraka, the trumped — what I believe are trumped-up charges against Congresswoman McIver. And it just sort of creates this ugly environment.
When he says, “In the old days, we used to, you know, beat them,” and all this kind of stuff, “I’ll pay for anybody’s lawyer who attacks somebody,” this is unprecedented for any president. In the past, presidents used to try to calm people on both sides of the aisle. They never would inflame the bad impulses of people. Not this president. He’s all for it. And he’s been the target of some of this political violence, and he also has fed the political violence, and we see it, you know —
AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, you mentioned —
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: You know —
AMY GOODMAN: You mentioned Paul Pelosi being hit over the head with a hammer, and Donald Trump Jr. —
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: — was mocking him at the time, mocking him —
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: — for that attack. You now have the Democratic Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota confronting her colleague, Republican Senator Mike Lee, over his post on social media about —
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: — the Minnesota shootings, in which he wrote, quote, “This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way,” next to a picture of the alleged gunman shooter. If you can respond to this, and then just very quickly tell us about the state and federal charges that have been brought against Vance Boelter?
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Well, Senator Lee owes America an apology. I hope that he has the courage to admit that he was very wrong. Tina Smith was absolutely right to confront him, and I’m proud of her for that.
And let me just say the charges, both state and federal, are appropriate. He violated state laws. He violated federal laws. The state laws are murder, and the grand jury will be reviewing first-degree murder charges against this individual. And the federal charges, because the crime employed the use of interstate wire and internet and other things, it’s appropriate federal charges, as well. And he’s going to be charged in both. Which ones will go first? Which trial will proceed first? I don’t know. That’s probably in a negotiation between state and federal authorities. Both are very well represented. That’s actually not going to be my case, unless something changes. The state will be represented by Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which is very able to do a good job in this matter. And so, investigators are gathering evidence. We urge people, if you know something about this case, please come forward and share it.
We must stop political violence. We can argue about our political differences, but in this country, we’re supposed to settle political differences at the ballot box, in a courtroom or in peaceful protest, but never with murderous violence like this. It’s completely unacceptable. And I would ask the president to stop his violent rhetoric and call Americans to the better place, without changing any of his political views. We just need him to call us to a more peaceful disposition of our conflicts, which are legitimate differences of point of view.
AMY GOODMAN: Keith Ellison, I want to thank you for being with us, Minnesota attorney general.
Up next, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister joins us to talk about the travel ban, the reported U.S. plans to send thousands more immigrants to Guantánamo and the U.S. embargo against Cuba. Back in 20 seconds.
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AMY GOODMAN: Cuban musician Silvio Rodríguez performing at Central Park here in New York at Summer Stage in 2017.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/us/politics/tina-smith-mike-lee-minnesota.html