Woman allegedly threatened to show Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth "how good of a marksman I am"
A Twin Cities woman is accused of making violent threats toward Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, including multiple intimations she planned to shoot the GOP official.
Rachel Welsch, 42, of Hugo, Minnesota, faces one count of threats of violence, according to court documents filed in Washington County last week.
The criminal complaint states Welsch left a series of voicemails for Demuth in January and February. In the first such message, she allegedly said, "I am going to come and meet you ... Wherever you are, you should be wondering when we are going to come." In another message, she called Demuth a "racist piece of s***," according to the complaint.
State troopers went to Welsch's home on Jan. 2 to discuss the voicemails, but after acknowledging she left messages for Demuth, she asked the troopers to leave, the complaint states.
Welsch allegedly left several more voicemails, including one calling Demuth a "traitor."
"You guys are making it very obvious you are okay with Minnesotans dying, but you are forgetting you are also Minnesotans," one voicemail said, according to the complaint.
In two messages in February, Welsch allegedly made veiled threats of a shooting.
"There is not bulletproof glass between us. Do you understand that?" a voicemail on Feb. 11 said. In another on Feb. 24, Welsch allegedly said she has been "learning how to shoot and I'm getting really good."
"I actually have a piece of paper, I can send you a picture to show how good of a marksman I am," the voicemail said.
The charges come eight months after an accused assassin shot and killed Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in their home, 90 minutes after seriously wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their home.
Demuth, who is running for governor, told law enforcement the "threats have affected her significantly," according to the complaint. She has petitioned for a restraining order against Welsch, and a judge last week also granted a temporary extreme risk protection order based on a state patrol petition that temporarily suspends Welsch's ability to purchase or possess firearms.
A court has also ordered Welsch to have no contact with Demuth, undergo mental health screening and submit to GPS monitoring.
On Tuesday at the Minnesota State Capitol, a House panel discussed a proposal to create a special security unit for elected officials. The Minnesota State Patrol said the number of threats against lawmakers and other elected officials doubled from 2024 to 2025.
