Within hours of the fatal shootings of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, rightwing social media accounts with millions of followers manufactured false conspiracy theories about the suspect and his motives. The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was captured on Sunday after allegedly killing Hortman and her husband, and wounding state Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Despite overwhelming evidence that Boelter is a Trump supporter and evangelical Christian, influencers falsely portrayed him as a radical leftwing assassin and attempted to link him to Democratic Governor Tim Walz.
Senator Tina Smith confronted Utah Senator Mike Lee on Monday over his social media posts, which advanced conspiracies that the suspect was a “Marxist” and blamed Governor Walz for Hortman’s death. Smith told CNN that Lee’s posts were “brutal and cruel” and urged him to consider the implications. Lee seemed surprised by the confrontation, according to Smith, and did not say much in response.
Collin Rugg, a prominent rightwing X account, promoted a debunkable theory that Hortman was killed over healthcare policy for undocumented immigrants. He shared a video of Hortman emotional over a vote to repeal healthcare eligibility for undocumented adults, but omitted context: Hortman supported the care and only voted for repeal to pass a state budget deal. Senator Hoffman had not voted to repeal the provision.
Further false claims came from Mike Cernovich, who suggested Walz ordered the assassination, and Laura Loomer, who called the Democratic party “a terrorist organization”. Elon Musk amplified the narrative to his 200 million followers, claiming “the far left is murderously violent”. The misinformation ignored Boelter’s actual politics: his roommate confirmed Boelter voted for Trump and was a strong supporter, and he was registered as a Republican in Oklahoma in 2004.
Boelter’s own recorded sermons reveal his extremist views. Preaching in Congo in 2023, he ranted against abortion and LGBTQ+ people, and his alleged hit list included abortion providers and pro-choice advocates. Officials found rudimentary “No Kings” signs in his vehicle, but there is no evidence he attended the protest. The rightwing media ecosystem continues to spin narratives regardless of accuracy, and elected officials like Lee lend legitimacy to these claims by sharing them.
