Republican Senator Mike Lee faced ridicule for calling the suspect of fatal shootings in Minnesota a “Marxist.”
“This is what happens ... When Marxists don’t get their way,” the Utah senator captioned a photo of alleged gunman Vance Boelter wearing a latex face mask.
The Utah senator also shared another post of Boelter with the caption, “Nightmare on Waltz Street.”
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Other MAGA figures, including Elon Musk, have also portrayed Boelter as a violent leftist.
Boelter allegedly killed Democratic state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband and allegedly shot and wounded state Senator John Hoffman and his wife on Saturday. Police later found a target list featuring the names of dozens of Democrats and abortion providers. Boelter is still at large.
Lee was roundly criticized on X for sharing the posts, with many commentators noting that the evidence contradicts his claims.
“Using this tragedy to push your own political agenda is disgraceful, people are dead,” Democratic activist Nina Turner replied on X.
“Even for MikeLee, this is beyond disgusting,” political scientist Norman Ornstein wrote on X. “Disinformation, beneath contempt.”
“What the hell is Mike Lee doing? Has he completely lost it?” conservative journalist Brad Polumbo also wrote on X.
“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,” the Democratic Party’s X account posted. “Pathetic.”
Lee’s office did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Boelter’s roommate, David Carlson, told reporters on Saturday that the alleged gunman was a “strong” Trump supporter.
Boelter and his wife, who was detained for questioning on Saturday, were also registered Republicans while living in Oklahoma in the early 2000s, according to public records. However, Minnesota does not require people to select a party when registering to vote.
Lee didn’t seem bothered by the attacks, instead engaging with those who supported his unsubstantiated claims. He eventually posted a Father’s Day post more than two hours after his posts about Marxism.
