Two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers shot: ‘Politically motivated assassinations’

Two Minnesota Democratic state lawmakers were among four people shot early Saturday morning in what Gov. Tim Walz described as “politically motivated assassinations.”

State Rep. Melissa Hortman, the former House Speaker in the Minnesota state legislature, and State Sen. John Hoffman, were shot in separate incidents about eight miles apart, the first reported at 2 a.m. local time, according to news reports.

Hortman and her husband, Mark, were both killed. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were described as gravely injured, but Walz said at a morning news conference that he is “cautiously optimistic” about their chances of survival.

The assailant, still on the run at this writing, was dressed as a police officer, wearing a vest and a badge, with a Taser and other equipment, and he was driving a vehicle that looked like a police vehicle, and was equipped with police lights, according to multiple reports.

Local police encountered the suspect at the second shooting location, at the home of Hortman, at 3:35 a.m., during what was described as a pro-active check.

There was an exchange of gunfire as the suspect fled the scene.

A manifesto was found in the suspect’s vehicle identifying “many lawmakers and other officials,” according to Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley, leading police in the state to move to provide security for public officials, out of an abundance of caution.

The backdrop of the shootings is worth noting here: Donald Trump is holding a military parade for himself in DC today, and as a counterbalance, there are more than 2,000 No Kings Day protests scheduled across the country.

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ICYMI

• Glenn Youngkin has called out the National Guard for Saturday No Kings Day protests
• Tim Kaine on Trump’s troops in LA: ‘An unprecedented and illegal action’

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said yesterday that he was activating the National Guard to assist local law enforcement with security with more than three dozen No Kings Day protests on the schedule across the Commonwealth today.

The move by Youngkin to activate the Guard here feels political – Trump ordered the National Guard and a U.S. Marine unit to Los Angeles this week in a move that feels more like an effort at quashing peaceful protests than aimed at security.