Minnesota Senate Republican leaders demand an apology from Gov. Tim Walz for a comment he made that was caught on tape saying that the country is being "stolen by fascists and Nazis."
Senate GOP leaders called his words outrageous and insulting to the millions of Americans who elected Republicans to office. The governor said the party and its leaders were not the target of his comment.
In the audio clip published online, Walz said, "I see the pundits on TV — 'What's wrong with the Democratic Party?' What's wrong is our country is being stolen by fascists and Nazis."
WCCO did not independently obtain the 25-second audio clip the GOP caucus posted online that Senate Republicans say they received from a private meeting with Minnesota nurses at the Capitol this week. His full remarks to the group were not shared.
"Gov. Walz used evocative language comparing modern political opponents to a political party responsible for the murder of millions of people, including six million Jews. It is out of line and warrants an apology," said Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks.
Walz, when asked by reporters later Thursday afternoon, said he was referring to the self-proclaimed neo-Nazis who descended on a suburban Cincinnati community earlier this month, according to reports.
"What's going on in our country right now is we have people who are openly Nazis and fascists trying to take our country, and we need to push back. This has been the last 10 days, the Washington Post, New York Times, talking about these folks in Ohio," Walz said. "So no, I'm not going to apologize. The question I have is: why are they not condemning them? Why are they not condemning these people who are in Ohio doing these things to us?"
Johnson and Sen. Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, noted that Walz denounced his one-time challenger Scott Jensen in the 2022 governor's race after he likened the Walz administration's COVID policies to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, comments Jensen ultimately stood behind.
"You can believe when governor candidate Jensen said the same thing, he got a call from the Coleman family explaining why calling someone a Nazi is incredibly insensitive," said Coleman, who has Jewish members of her family.
Walz said the Republicans should "be better" and shift their attention to what's happening in Washington as the Social Security Administration prepares for cuts to its workforce, according to an AP report.
He also shared concerns about the future of Medicaid, a program that even some GOP members of the Legislature are also worried could be at risk in the next federal budget.
Caroline Cummings
Caroline Cummings is an Emmy-winning reporter with a passion for covering politics, public policy and government. She is thrilled to join the WCCO team.
Minnesota Senate Republicans seek apology from Gov. Tim Walz over Nazi comment that he says wasn't targeting GOP
/ CBS Minnesota
Minnesota Senate Republican leaders demand an apology from Gov. Tim Walz for a comment he made that was caught on tape saying that the country is being "stolen by fascists and Nazis."
Senate GOP leaders called his words outrageous and insulting to the millions of Americans who elected Republicans to office. The governor said the party and its leaders were not the target of his comment.
In the audio clip published online, Walz said, "I see the pundits on TV — 'What's wrong with the Democratic Party?' What's wrong is our country is being stolen by fascists and Nazis."
WCCO did not independently obtain the 25-second audio clip the GOP caucus posted online that Senate Republicans say they received from a private meeting with Minnesota nurses at the Capitol this week. His full remarks to the group were not shared.
"Gov. Walz used evocative language comparing modern political opponents to a political party responsible for the murder of millions of people, including six million Jews. It is out of line and warrants an apology," said Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks.
Walz, when asked by reporters later Thursday afternoon, said he was referring to the self-proclaimed neo-Nazis who descended on a suburban Cincinnati community earlier this month, according to reports.
"What's going on in our country right now is we have people who are openly Nazis and fascists trying to take our country, and we need to push back. This has been the last 10 days, the Washington Post, New York Times, talking about these folks in Ohio," Walz said. "So no, I'm not going to apologize. The question I have is: why are they not condemning them? Why are they not condemning these people who are in Ohio doing these things to us?"
Johnson and Sen. Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, noted that Walz denounced his one-time challenger Scott Jensen in the 2022 governor's race after he likened the Walz administration's COVID policies to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, comments Jensen ultimately stood behind.
"You can believe when governor candidate Jensen said the same thing, he got a call from the Coleman family explaining why calling someone a Nazi is incredibly insensitive," said Coleman, who has Jewish members of her family.
Walz said the Republicans should "be better" and shift their attention to what's happening in Washington as the Social Security Administration prepares for cuts to its workforce, according to an AP report.
He also shared concerns about the future of Medicaid, a program that even some GOP members of the Legislature are also worried could be at risk in the next federal budget.
In:- Minnesota
- Tim Walz
Caroline Cummings is an Emmy-winning reporter with a passion for covering politics, public policy and government. She is thrilled to join the WCCO team.
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