Early Saturday morning, news emerged from Minnesota that two state legislators and their spouses had been targeted by a then-unknown assassin.
Soon after, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz shared that former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a respected Democratic state Representative, and her husband Mark had been killed at their home by a shooter impersonating a police officer. They left behind two adult children, Sophie and Colin.
Democratic state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, had also been ambushed at home and shot multiple times by the same assassin, but had survived surgery with cautiously optimistic prognoses.
In a statement shared by Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar on Sunday night, Yvette said:
"[State Senator Hoffman] is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods. He took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive."
Outrage over the violence and support for the victims, their families, and the state of Minnesota soon poured out across social media. Politicians across the political spectrum offered words of solidarity and support.
Except for Utah MAGA Republican Senator Mike Lee, whose first message addressing the tragedy on Saturday afternoon was:
"My guess:"
"He's not MAGA"
@BasedMikeLee/X
@spatially/X
As a literal flag-flying Christian nationalist, Lee wasn't happy with the results of, or reaction to, his first post. So on Sunday morning he posted two more times about the politically-motivated shootings.
First he shared a security camera image of the alleged assassin, Vance Boelter, with the caption:
"This is what happens"
"When Marxists don’t get their way"
Lee was so pleased with this post he pinned it on his X profile page.
@BasedMikeLee/X
@Jan_Mikael_/X
Just 25 minutes later, Lee posted the same security camera image next to a studio portrait of Boelter, captioned:
"Nightmare on Waltz Street"
It's believed autocorrect changed Lee's caption from Walz to Waltz, or Lee just didn't know how to spell the former Democratic vice presidential candidate's name.
@@BasedMikeLee/X
While people like Lee were quick to claim Boelter was hired in some capacity by Governor Walz, public records tell a different story. Boelter was appointed to a nonpartisan state workplace development board in 2016 by then Democratic Governor Mark Dayton. He was retained on the same board when current Governor Walz took office.
Despite loudly proclaiming his Christianity on numerous occasions, Lee never posted anything sympathetic to the victims, their families, or anyone else affected by the shootings.
People called out Lee and called on him to resign.
Sandy Nimrick/Facebook
Ron Zachary/Facebook
@btgille/X
@speechboy71/X
John Pavlovitz/Facebook
Lee has come under fire for his social media usage before.
After several posts defending and minimizing the threat of White nationalist groups, Lee was forced to publicly denounce White nationalism and White supremacy, again. Lee had been pressured to do the same in 2017.
Lee also made headlines after former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows shared text messages between himself and Lee with the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 insurrection and attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The alleged assassin was apprehended by police on Sunday night, the result of what Brooklyn Park police Chief Mark Bruley called "the largest manhunt in [Minnesota] history."
Lee hasn't commented further on the shootings, on Boelter, nor on the backlash he's receiving.
