Congressional members are calling for extra security amid rising concerns for their safety after former Minnesota State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed over the weekend.
Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) called the event a “politically motivated assassination,” with the attack marking the latest politically violent incident over the last several years.
”Political violence is plaguing our nation,” former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), who was shot in 2011 along with 18 others during a constituent meeting in Tucson, Arizona, told the Washington Examiner.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have called for this increase in security in light of this politically motivated attack, among others that have contributed to the need to beef up security measures.
“Since we were notified of the violence targeting lawmakers in Minnesota, we have been working around the clock with our Congressional, federal, state and local partners to ensure that the Members of Congress impacted by this terrible event have a strong security plan,” Capitol Police told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
The killings of Hortman and her husband, along with serious injuries to Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife during a targeted shooting over the weekend, have led many members from both sides of the aisle to call for more security protocols as political violence is on the rise.
On Monday, federal prosecutors charged Vance Boelter, 57, with federal murder and stalking offenses, while he faces state charges of murder and attempted murder. Authorities said Boelter had a “hit list” of 45 other targets, all Democrats.
“The entire country is mourning with Minnesota over this senseless tragedy,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Washington Examiner. “The President and his team, led by Attorney General Bondi, will hold the perpetrator of this crime accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Multiple members of Congress have released statements saying they have been informed that they were mentioned in the notes written by the suspected shooter in Minnesota. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) canceled her planned town hall for Monday after being informed that her name was among the Michigan Democrats on the list. Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) also released a statement saying he was included on the list.
“Nothing matters more to me than the safety and well-being of the people I serve,” Scholten said Monday in a statement. “After being made aware that my name was on a list connected to the recent tragic shooting in Minnesota, my office has made the difficult decision to postpone our planned town hall in Muskegon.”
After the assassination, a letter was drafted to the House Committee on House Administration to clarify that members’ representational allowances may be used for around-the-clock security services.
“More recently, two state lawmakers in Minnesota were targeted in their homes by an individual impersonating law enforcement,” the letter reads. “Had these lawmakers served in Congress, they would not have been allowed to use MRA funds for personal protection, despite being targeted.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D-PA) house was set on fire earlier this year, President Donald Trump was the victim of two assassination attempts last year, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) husband, Paul, was attacked in their San Francisco home in 2022.
“America is better than this,” Shapiro said Saturday in a statement to the Washington Post.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) was a victim of a kidnapping plot in 2020, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) was shot in the 2017 mass shooting at a practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game.
“GIFFORDS was born from tragedy, founded by Gabby Giffords after she survived an assassination attempt that claimed six innocent lives, including a federal judge,” Giffords added. “America cannot be a nation of assassinations. We cannot—and will not—let armed extremists silence the voices of democracy.”
HILLARY SCHOLTEN CANCELS TOWN HALL AFTER BEING NAMED ON MINNESOTA’S SHOOTING SUSPECT’S ‘LIST’
“The gun industry has chosen profit over American lives, flooding our communities with weapons and fueling extremist rhetoric,” she continued. “This must end now. Our leaders must find the courage to act. Strengthening gun laws isn’t just common sense, it’s a moral imperative that will define what kind of nation we are.”
Political violence is not a new phenomenon. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln were both fatally shot in politically motivated assassinations.