Republican Senator Mocked for Calling Dem Assassin a ‘Marxist’

Senator Mike Lee is facing fierce backlash after blaming “Marxists” for a horrific shooting that left Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband dead, despite mounting evidence that the alleged killer was a staunch Trump supporter.

The Utah Republican, a close ally of President Donald Trump, took to X (formerly Twitter) over the weekend to spread false claims about the shooter’s ideology—just hours after the deadly rampage.

“This is what happens … When Marxists don’t get their way,” Lee wrote alongside an image of the suspect, Vance Boelter, who remains at large. In a follow-up post, Lee captioned another image of the masked suspect with, “Nightmare on Waltz Street,” in a pun targeting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

This is what happens

When Marxists don’t get their way pic.twitter.com/VcZ0XtMiBA

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 15, 2025

But the narrative pushed by Lee and other right-wing figures—like billionaire Elon Musk—was quickly debunked.

According to David Carlson, Boelter’s former roommate, the suspected killer was a “strong” Trump supporter who often ranted about Democrats, abortion rights, and “the woke mob.” Carlson described Boelter as “obsessed with conspiracy theories” and “always talking about the country being stolen from real Americans.”

Public records confirm that both Boelter and his wife were registered Republicans during their time in Oklahoma. While Minnesota does not record party affiliation in voter registration, Carlson said Boelter openly identified as conservative and had a “shrine to Trump” in his garage.

Authorities say Boelter murdered Democratic state Rep. Hortman and her husband in what appears to be a politically motivated attack. He also allegedly shot state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, who survived and are recovering. Investigators later uncovered a chilling target list in Boelter’s home—packed with names of Democratic lawmakers and abortion providers.

Yet Senator Lee, rather than expressing condolences or urging unity, leaned into unsubstantiated culture war rhetoric.

Critics across the political spectrum condemned Lee’s posts as grotesque and dishonest.

“Using this tragedy to push your own political agenda is disgraceful. People are dead,” wrote Democratic activist Nina Turner.

“Even for Mike Lee, this is beyond disgusting,” added political scientist Norman Ornstein. “Disinformation, beneath contempt.”

Conservative writer Brad Polumbo didn’t hold back either: “What the hell is Mike Lee doing? Has he completely lost it?”

The official account of the Democratic Party blasted Lee’s behavior in a scathing post: “It’s Father’s Day, and you’re spending your time tweeting lies about a tragedy to run cover for a right-wing domestic terrorist. Pathetic.”

Lee’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Instead of walking back his claims, the senator spent Sunday morning liking and replying to users who praised his posts. Only later in the day did he share a generic Father’s Day message—hours after injecting falsehoods into an unfolding national tragedy.

Meanwhile, Boelter remains the subject of a manhunt. The FBI and Minnesota authorities are urging anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward immediately.

As the nation reels from yet another politically charged act of violence, many are calling for elected leaders—on both sides—to stop weaponizing tragedy and start taking threats of extremist violence seriously.