The children of slain Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman are urging President Donald Trump to remove a post on Truth Social that promotes a conspiracy theory alleging the state's governor, Tim Walz, was involved in Hortman’s death.
Hortman — a Democrat — and her husband, Mark, were killed in June at their home in what authorities described at the time as "politically motivated" shootings. State Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were also shot and wounded in their home the same day.
Vance Boelter of Minnesota is accused of the shootings. The manhunt to arrest Boelter was the largest in Minnesota history. He was indicted on federal murder charges in July and pleaded not guilty in August.
Trump shared the video — which seems to have been made by another social media user, who shared yet another video — on Saturday. It made unsubstantiated claims tying Walz and alleged fraud in Minnesota’s state programs to the murders. There has been no evidence to suggest there is such a link.
On Saturday, Walz — who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024 — called Trump’s post “dangerous, depraved behavior from the sitting president of the United States,” saying he would “get more innocent people killed.”
“America is better than this,” Walz said.
On Sunday, the Hortmans’ children, Colin and Sophie, each released statements condemning the video.
“I am asking President Trump to remove the video that he shared and apologize to me and my family for posting...
[OSEN=Yu Su-yeon Reporter] Broadcaster Jeong Hyeong-don expressed disgust and anger over ‘fake news’ surrounding his wife, Han Yu-ra. On the 6th, a video titled ‘Why Is My Wife Getting Cursed Out?...