By J. Patrick Coolican
Just hours after Minnesotans learned that Democratic House leader Melissa Hortman had been assassinated, right-wing influencer Collin Rugg, who has 1.8 million followers on X, posted a “report” that hinted that she’d been killed because of a recent vote on ending undocumented adults’ ability to enroll in MinnesotaCare, a subsidized health insurance for the working poor.
Mike Cernovich, another right-wing influencer who has 1.4 million followers on X, took Rugg’s post and amped it up, but in the “just asking questions” style of many conspiracy theories:
“Did Tim Walz have her executed to send a message?”
They were deeply ignorant about the MinnesotaCare issue.
Walz and Hortman — who was instrumental in passing legislation allowing undocumented people to sign up for MinnesotaCare as speaker of the House in 2023 — negotiated a compromise with Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature to end eligibility for adults, but keep it for children. They did so to win necessary Republican support in the 67-67 House to pass a state budget. Without it, state government would have shut down on July 1.
Both Hortman and Walz signed the compromise agreement in mid-May. This week, Hortman spoke tearfully about how difficult the vote was for her, but she was bound to vote yes on the issue because of the prior agreement.
The “theory” of Hortman’s killing was further undercut by the vote of Democratic Sen. John Hoffman — who was also targeted by the suspect — against rolling back MinnesotaCare for undocumented Minnesotans.
Rugg and Cernovich’s posts were shared widely and just the start of the disinformation.
Once law enforcement sources began revealing a suspect, right-wing influencers ran with an insignificant detail: That Vance Luther Boelter was a “Walz appointee.”
Like many states, but even more so here, Minnesota is home to hundreds of nonpartisan and bipartisan boards and commissions, which are composed of thousands of people who typically win the appointment by simply volunteering. There are 342 open positions on Minnesota boards and commissions. Boelter was appointed to the Workforce Development Council by Walz’s predecessor Gov. Mark Dayton and reappointed by Walz.
It was the equivalent of calling a Sunday school volunteer an “appointee of the bishop.”
No matter, the Murdoch media machine, specifically the New York Post, had their headline: “Former appointee of Tim Walz sought….”
Cernovich had his greasy foil hot dog wrapper and began constructing a hat:
“The Vice President candidate for the Democrat party is directly connected to a domestic terrorist, that is confirmed, the only question is whether Tim Walz himself ordered the political hit against a rival who voted against Walz’s plan to give free healthcare to illegals.”
Walz had no such plan. He had signed an agreement to end eligibility for undocumented adults.
Joey Mannarino, who has more than 600,000 followers on X, was more crass:
“Rumor has it she was preparing to switch parties. The Democrats are VIOLENT SCUM.”
It was a ridiculous “rumor.” One of the last photos of Hortman alive was an image of her at the Democratic-Farmer-Labor’s big annual fundraising event, the Humphrey-Mondale dinner, which took place just hours before her assassination.
No matter, Cernovich wanted his new friends in federal law enforcement to act:
“The FBI must take Tim Walz into custody immediately.”
Finally, fresh off his humiliating defeat at the hands of President Donald Trump, world’s richest man Elon Musk quote-tweeted someone again falsely alleging Hortman was killed by “the left” and added:
“The far left is murderously violent.”
The suspect’s “hit list,” according to an official who has seen the list, comprised Minnesotans who have been outspoken in favor of abortion rights. CNN reported that it also included several abortion clinics, which doesn’t sound like the work of “the left.”
Right-wing influencers marred Hortman’s death and smeared Walz on a pile of lies.
In a different, saner world, they would be humiliated and slink away. But the smart money is that during the next moment of national crisis and mourning, they will again lie for profit.
J. Patrick Coolican is Editor-in-Chief of Minnesota Reformer. Previously, he was a Capitol reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for five years, after a Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan and time at the Las Vegas Sun, Seattle Times and a few other stops along the way. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and toddler son. This article first appeared in the Minnesota Reformer, a member with the Phoenix in the nonprofit States Newsroom.
Deborah Coffey says
@ Leila
See? You were conned. Without truth, we can’t have a country.
Sherry says
This article explains so much about some comments made here on Flaglerlive. . . Yep, live your lives according to social media= beyond insane!
Michael J Cocchiola says
I condemn all MAGAs as insane sycophants of a dementia-addled and power-inebriated defiler of the White House.
Laurel says
Look, I’m no fan of the “far left” nor the “far right” but a person cannot be a “bleeding heart liberal” and “The far left is murderously violent.” at the same time. Make up your minds, folks. Does something seem not quite right?
“The far left is murderously violent.” is hate speech. Calling each other scummy names is hate speech. Calling our country and our state names is hate speech. Calling innocent people “murderers and rapists” is hate speech. When you hear hate speech, TURN THE DAMNED CHANNEL OFF!
Turn of Fox. Turn off MSNBC. Turn of “influencers.” Why the hell do you need to be influenced by idiot nobodies?
Purposely turn on shows that uplift you, not make you angry. Turn on shows that truly educate you, not stir up shit. The mind numbing crap that exists across the air waves, and internet, is wasting your time and your brain, and turning us against each other.
They will say anything that pulls money out of your pocket, they don’t care how it effects our country or our lives.
Turn it off.
Laurel says
Correction: Turn off Fox (not “of”), they are callous money makers.
Sherry says
Utah Senator Mike Lee. . . what a complete “Ass” who should be impeached:
“This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way,” Lee posted Sunday morning as a caption to a still from security footage of the killer who gunned down two Minnesota politicians.
The alleged shooter was still on the lam. People were dead. Some of Lee’s colleagues in Congress were also potential targets. Normal human thoughts and feelings may have compelled someone to just give the shitposting a rest. But Lee couldn’t resist the endorphin rush of going viral. “Nightmare on Waltz Street,” he posted later that morning, a jeering reference to the killer’s silicone mask and his alleged connection to Gov. Tim Walz, whose last name he misspelled.