I believe what unfolded after the Minnesota shootings this past weekend was both shocking and shameful. As a lawyer, I know how rare and chilling it is for violence to strike elected officials in their homes. As a citizen, I am horrified. And as a journalist who cares deeply about our democracy and the well‑being of everyday Americans, I am disgusted by Senator Mike Lee’s response, or rather, his lack of humanity.
The tragedy is real. State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were murdered in their home. Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were seriously wounded. The shooter was a right-wing MAGA extremist fueled by hate, lies, and the dangerous rhetoric coming straight from the top.
The Hortman’s surviving children are now facing a nightmare no child should ever endure. Their family is left picking up pieces amid unspeakable loss. This is heart‑rending. This is personal. This is America on fire.
Lee’s Social Media Posts
I believe Senator Lee had a responsibility—no, an obligation—to stand up, condemn the violence in the starkest terms, and send comfort to grieving families. Instead he mocked the victims and cast blame in the most despicable way. He reposted an image of the killer alongside a callous jab: “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way.” He went on to ridicule Governor Walz with “Nightmare on Waltz Street.” He pinned this garbage to his profile, relishing the reaction, even as hospital doors closed on bullet‑wounded innocents.
This is pathetic. Political leadership in a crisis demands empathy, truth, and unity, not social media stunts and ideological slapshots. His conduct speaks volumes. This belief, that tragedy is just another opportunity to score partisan points, reflects a mindset that was cultivated at the very top, with Donald Trump. Trump’s dismissal of truth, his contempt for facts, his embrace of extremism, these are not outliers. They are the water Lee swims in.