MAGA voices spread falsehoods to link Minnesota shooter to Democrats
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A makeshift memorial for DFL State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman is seen at the Minnesota State Capitol building on June 16 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Photo: Steven Garcia/Getty Images
Prominent MAGA figures — including the president's son — have amplified false rumors that the Minnesota shooting suspect was a Democrat in an effort to paint their political opponents as violent.
The big picture: In the wake of shootings and other tragedies, social media often becomes fertile ground for misinformation and conspiracies —now fringe theories have found mouthpieces in the mainstream and among elected Republicans.
- Alleged gunman Vance Boelter held conservative political views and was a "strong supporter" of President Trump, according to those who knew him.
- A friend told CNN Boelter strongly opposed abortion but never expressed any particular anger with the shooting victims. The friend told CBS Boelter would "be offended if people called him a Democrat."
Driving the news: The conspiracy theory was fueled by Boelter's appointment to a state Workforce Development Board by former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Gov. Tim Walz.
- Police also allegedly found papers with the anti-Trump protest slogan "No Kings" in Boelter's car, prompting the Minnesota State Patrol to urge residents not to attend the demonstrations out of "an abundance of caution."
- Just hours after House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded, top MAGA voices used those revelations to inaccurately paint Boelter as a Democrat.
- According to court filings, Boelter allegedly drew up lists of Minnesota public officials who were "mostly or all Democrats" and their addresses.
- Despite that, Donald Trump Jr. told NewsNation the suspect "seems to be a leftist" and is "a Democrat."
What they're saying: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has repeatedly spread misinformation about Boelter prompting outrage and calls for his resignation.
- Lee posted an FBI image of the suspect wearing a face mask and posing as a police officer Sunday with the caption, "This is what happens [w]hen Marxists don't get their way."
- In another post, he shared a photo of the suspect with the caption "Nightmare on Waltz [sic] Street." He shared his "guess" that the suspect is "not MAGA."
- In yet another post, Lee wrote, "Marxism is a deadly mental illness" and shared an X post calling the suspect a "Tim Walz appointee" with 'No Kings' flyers in his car."
- Lee's office did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Context: A source in Walz's office told The Minnesota Star Tribune that Walz did not know Boelter and stressed that the members on the workforce board are not appointments to the governor's cabinet or office.
- The board has around 60 members, per the Star Tribune, many of whom are not politically connected or would have meaningful access to the governor. The paper added there are more than 130 such boards, advisory councils, task forces and commissions.
State of play: But online, prominent right wing voices still tried to tie Boelter to Walz and smear Democrats as a whole as violent.
- Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), also sharing the image of papers with the words "No Kings," wrote Saturday, "The degree to which the extreme left has become radical, violent, and intolerant is both stunning and terrifying." Moreno's office did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
- Elon Musk, sharing a post that claimed "the left" was responsible for the Minnesota shootings and a string of other crimes, wrote, "The far left is murderously violent."
- Right-wing commentator Benny Johnson described Boelter as a "Tim Walz associate." Far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed Walz was "friends" with the suspect and called for the governor to be "detained by the FBI and interrogated."
Zoom out: It's not uncommon for conspiracy theories to spread in an information vacuum.
- In the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, unfounded rumors quickly took hold.
- And after the deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C., earlier this year, social media users sought to falsely tie a transgender helicopter pilot to the tragedy.
The bottom line: Joe Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said in a Monday press conference it would be "way too speculative" to say what motivated the alleged gunman "in terms of ideology."
Go deeper: Sen. Mike Lee called to resign for "disgusting" posts about Minnesota shooting
