MN Shooter's Connection to Marxism and MAGA Movement Rapidly Debunked
In a shocking twist of events, every year witnesses a series of tragic incidents in this country, often sparking a fierce debate over who to blame. Typically, these incidents involve mass shootings or assaults on government officials. Over the weekend, we unfortunately experienced another such incident: Someone disguised as a cop brutally murdered longtime Minnesota congresswoman Melissa Hortman and her husband in the hallway of their home. Now, authorities claim they've identified the perpetrator, and the race to pinpoint his political leanings has become increasingly heated online.
Vance Boelter is currently under suspicion for the heinous crimes of killing state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as well as severely injuring Sen. John Hoffman and his wife. Boelter, who is the CEO of a private security company, surrendered to police after a tense standoff at one of his properties in Minnesota on Sunday.
In the immediate aftermath of the shootings, right-wing accounts predictably tried to brand Boelter as a liberal. Right-wing Senator Mike Lee, known for his uncanny ability to spew inappropriate statements, oversimplified the suspect as a "Marxist." Other conservative accounts seized upon the fact that some anti-Trump fliers for the "No Kings" protests were allegedly discovered in his car. Boelter's appointment to a state working group by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also provided fodder for red-pilled accounts to suggest he was a radical leftist. Before Walz's administration, Boelter had been appointed to a prior incarnation of the same working group by a former Democratic governor. "So a Tim Walz appointee with 'No Kings' flyers in his car went on a killing spree today and murdered and injured lawmakers?? Holy cow," exclaimed LibsofTikTok on X, escalating the situation.
On The Benny Show podcast, Donald Trump Jr. similarly attempted to sow doubt about the assumption that the perpetrator was a Republican. "I believe leftist Tim Walz isn't exactly appointing conservatives," Trump stated, during his appearance. "Apparently, he had the No Kings flyer in his car. But he went after someone who didn't blindly follow Democrat, radical leftist dogma."
The internet is a battlefield of ideologies, with the winners being those who can spread their message the fastest. Luckily for right-wingers, they have a platform (X) owned by a staunch conservative and Trump donor (Elon Musk) to lend them a helping hand. It's not entirely implausible to assume that when MAGA influencers insist that America's latest spree killer is a deranged Biden-admirer, they're just hoping to manipulate X's algorithm and consequently ride the viral content wave into users' feeds before reality sets in.
However, in the case of the Minnesota shooter, the right-wing war on reality seems to have fizzled out rather quickly. The facts shared by law enforcement have already eroded MAGA's narrative. According to authorities, Boelter was registered as a Republican when he resided in Oklahoma in 2004. Furthermore, it appears he had a hit list of other Democratic lawmakers, and police suspect that the "No Kings" fliers might have been in the suspect's car because he intended to target those protests[X]. Trump's own Justice Department has plans to charge Boelter with stalking and murder. Fresh information reveals that Boelter was raised evangelical, owned his own private security company, and has expressed far-right views critical of abortion[Y].
There are still several unanswered questions, such as why Boelter—a married man who owns his own business—had a "roommate" who worked at Papa John's Pizza. That roommate, David Carlson, who claimed to be Boelter's best friend, has shared that Boelter is "very conservative" and would be offended if people thought he was a Democrat[Z].
After losing the initial blame game, right-wingers swiftly adopted a more conspiratorial perspective of the shootings that permits them to evade any political responsibility. Alex Jones has argued that Boelter's arrest is merely a setup for the real killer. "Mounting Evidence Suggests that the Reported Minnesota Assassin Vance Luther Boelter is a Patsy Used to Cover Up a Deeper, More Sinister Operation" asserts a video on Jones' X profile. Jones has also alleged that the "Democrat Machine" is attempting to link Boelter to InfoWars.
"Democratic shills are insisting that Vance Boelter lived in a small house with a Papa John's delivery guy who claims he's a Trump supporter," another account said, hinting at a conspiracy theory. "Reality proves otherwise: he's married with a family and owns a substantial property."
On the flip side, Democratic accounts have seized this opportunity to condemn conservatives. "Buried 30 paragraphs deep in this NY Post article about Vance Boelter is the fact that the Minnesota murderer who killed 2 DEMs, and planned to kill more, is a registered REPUBLICAN," commented a prominent Democratic influencer.
As the conservatives lose the political narrative battle, it's uncertain how the killings themselves will affect the actual political power balance in the state. By targeting Democratic lawmakers, the assassin may have altered Minnesota's deeply divided legislature, which has been embroiled in a tug-of-war with the GOP over the past year[1]. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has until next February to fill the vacant congressional seat left by the slain congresswoman.
Elon Musk, the CEO of X (a social media platform), is a staunch conservative and Trump donor, providing a platform for right-wing accounts to spread their message rapidly. After the Minnesota shootings, right-wing accounts attempted to label the suspect Vance Boelter as a liberal, citing a "No Kings" flier found in his car and his past appointment to a state working group by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. However, authorities revealed that Boelter was registered as a Republican in 2004 and had a hit list of other Democratic lawmakers. Despite these facts, conspiracy theories about the shootings persist, with Alex Jones suggesting Boelter is a patsy and the Democratic Machine is trying to link him to InfoWars. The political fallout remains uncertain, as the vacant congressional seat left by the slain congresswoman needs to be filled by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz before next February.
