Staff Reports
The June ambush that left former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband dead, and state Senator John Hoffman and his wife critically wounded, was an act of political violence that shocked the nation and shattered the sense of safety in our communities. Authorities say the suspect carried a list of dozens of targets and dressed like a police officer to gain access to victims’ homes — details no honest citizen should shrug off.
Investigators identified and captured 57‑year‑old Vance Luther Boelter after the largest manhunt in Minnesota history; federal prosecutors have since unsealed an indictment charging him with murder, stalking and firearms offenses tied to the attacks. The accused’s background — once a member of state advisory boards and a man who posted about missions overseas — only deepens the questions about how someone like this slipped through the cracks.
Disturbingly, federal court filings include a handwritten letter Boelter left in an abandoned vehicle that was addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel and appears to confess to the shootings while also making explosive allegations against Governor Tim Walz. In the note, Boelter claims Walz approached him about a so‑called “project” and even ordered assassinations of senators — a charge prosecutors have publicly called unsubstantiated.
Let me be plain: an allegation like that is monstrous, and it must be treated with the utmost seriousness — but it must also be tested against facts, not fed to the mob as gospel. Acting federal prosecutors have said they have found no evidence supporting Boelter’s claims that Governor Walz ordered or directed the attacks, and they’ve warned that the letter might reflect delusion or a bid to misdirect investigators. Americans deserve both the truth and the restraint of patience until investigators complete their work.
That said, no one should expect Republicans, conservatives, or any decent citizen to swallow reassurances without demanding transparency. It is true that Boelter had previously been appointed to a statewide workforce board, a fact confirmed by multiple outlets; a reappointment by governors of different parties does not erase the political optics or the plain need for full disclosure from the governor’s office. If there are communications, appointment records, or other documents relevant to the suspect’s ties to state government, they should be released to an independent investigator now.
We also have to be honest about the media’s role here: when allegations land on the left, too many outlets reflexively look for ways to downplay and protect; when allegations land on the right, those same outlets explode with headlines. Conservatives are right to demand equal treatment under the law and equal ferocity in the pursuit of truth — not selective outrage that follows a political script. The people of Minnesota deserve a full accounting, focused on evidence and not on partisan spinning.
Some on the right are tying this case to broader concerns about state handling of fraud, immigration policy, and community accountability in Minneapolis and beyond; whether those broader claims have merit is for responsible journalists and investigators to sort out. What should not be tolerated is censorship or dismissal when citizen investigators and watchdog reporters press for transparency about government ties, appointments, and process failures that might have helped create this tragedy.
Above all, hardworking Americans want safety, justice, and honest answers. That means the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and state authorities must pursue every lead, release what can be lawfully released, and let neither media bias nor political cowardice bury the facts. If the governor has nothing to hide, he should welcome an independent review; if there is wrongdoing, let the law hammer it without favor. The families of the victims, and every Minnesotan, deserve no less.
