Sen. Mike Lee deletes posts about shootings after Minnesota lawmakers in both parties push back

Sydney Kashiwagi and Nathaniel Minor, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jun 17, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS — After pushback from Minnesota lawmakers, Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah deleted two posts on social media that were criticized as insensitive following a weekend shooting that killed one state legislator and injured another.

Lee’s reversal comes after confrontations and condemnation from Minnesota politicians in both parties, who united in their grief against national political rhetoric that they said made light of the tragedy.

Minnesota U.S. Sen. Tina Smith approached Lee in Washington on Monday to call out the posts. At the same time, legislative Republicans took to social media to push back on Lee and other conservatives for perpetuating a narrative that the suspected gunman had liberal ties.

“I suggest you take just a pause, though, and have just a bit of empathy for the many people touched by the horrible crimes committed in Minnesota on Saturday,” Minnesota House GOP Floor Leader Harry Niska responded to one conservative commentator on X.

The united pushback tapped into a part of Minnesota political culture that has been born over decades out of necessity: Voters more often than not send divided representation to the Legislature, meaning both sides often have to sit in the same room and work together.

“I do think that we have a proud history in Minnesota of civic engagement and participation, and it’s something that’s unique about our state,” said Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who had also called out Lee and planned to confront him. “And while you see people like [President] Donald Trump always seem to be throwing fuel on the fire in Minnesota, we’ve worked really hard to have a different political culture.”

“This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way,” the Utah senator said in one now-deleted post over the weekend. “Nightmare on Waltz Street,” the Utah senator said in another.

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