In wake of Minnesota lawmaker shootings, experts warn political violence has been on the rise in U.S.
Police said the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses over the weekend appear to be politically motivated. Investigators called the murder of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband a political assassination, and it's a trend that experts say they're concerned is on the rise.
"It's only the most recent example of political extremism in this county, and a trend that's been increasing in recent years," said acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson.
The suspect in the shootings, Vance Boelter, 57, was charged Monday with two counts of second-degree murder in the shootings that killed the Hortmans, and two counts of second-degree attempted murder in the shootings of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, in an overnight rampage Saturday.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was in Minnesota on Friday for an event. He said his name was not found on Boelter's list, but some Illinois politicians' names were.
"They recovered devices and other papers that had 600 names, more than 600 names," Pritzker said. "There are Illinois folks, like Iowa and others, but very few — and again, no one, the FBI specifically said to me that these people are not targets."
There have been several high-profile political attacks in America in the years since the U.S. Capitol was attacked on Jan. 6, 2021.
On Oct. 28, 2022, Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul, was beaten by an intruder at the couple's San Francisco mansion.
On July 13 of last year, President Trump — then campaigning for a new term — survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
On May 21 of this year, two Israeli Embassy workers were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., and on June 1, a peaceful march in support of Israeli hostages was firebombed in Boulder, Colorado.
"There has been a significant increase in the number of Americans really seeing the other political side as an enemy," said Dan Byman, director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats and Terrorism Project at the Center for Strategic International Studies. "Words like 'treason' show up. Calls supporting violence have increased. Polling indicates that significant numbers of Americans believe violence is justified if their particular cause is not fulfilled."
Such inflammatory language can easily lead to violence, Byman said.
"Individual followers often taking it in their own direction, where they'll grab a little from one ideologue, a bit more from another ideologue, and then throw in their own pet grievances," he said, "And as a result, you have lots of angry individuals."
Illinois state Rep. Nicole La Ha (R-Lemont) emphasized the severity of the threat.
"I think it's really important that we, as elected officials, understand that our words carry a lot of weight," she said. "It definitely wasn't something on my mind that I need to be looking over my back."
La Ha has previously introduced legislation modeled after the Judicial Privacy Act to better protect the private information of politicians and first responders.
"Which includes our home addresses, our home phone numbers — and it allows us to ask government bodies to protect those things and to keep them private," La Ha said. "You know, it's unfortunate that sometimes we don't act until it's too late."
Vance Boelter charged with Minnesota lawmakers' shootings
Boelter is facing six charges in federal court, including stalking and murder, which are eligible for the death penalty if prosecutors decide to pursue it and he is convicted. He was taken into custody on Sunday night near his Sibley County, Minnesota, home following a manhunt that lasted over 36 hours.
"It's a chilling attack on our democracy on our way of life," said Thompson. "It's only the most recent example of political extremism in this country and a trend that's been increasing in recent years."
In the wake of the shootings, U.S. Capitol police said politically based threat investigations are up 400%. An Illinois lawmaker said she hopes the horrific tragedy will lead to increased safety measures for public officials and first responders.
Yvette Hoffman gave an update Monday that she was shot eight times and her husband, who was shot nine times, is undergoing many surgeries and is "closer every hour to being out of the woods."
Shortly after police arrested Boelter in a field near his home in Minnesota, a search of his car turned up weapons, detailed plans for the attack, and the names of hundreds of Democratic lawmakers written in various locations.
Pritzker did not reveal the names of the politicians who were listed on the evidence found in Boelter's home and car. But he said it was not a "hit list."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct information about the conditions of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, who were injured in Saturday's shootings.
