Minnesota Lawmaker Shooter Sentenced to Life
Was the Minnesota lawmaker shooting calculated anti-Democrat political violence or part of a broader bipartisan threat?
Above: Harry and Linda Haluptzok, Melissa Hortman's parents, in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 23. Image credit: Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune/Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Boelter's attack wasn't random rage — he tracked Democratic lawmakers, monitored partisan control of the Minnesota Legislature, and timed the shootings to coincide with the No Kings protest. This was calculated political violence against Democrats, and it is clear that this is downstream from the corrosive effect of Trump's instigation against his political enemies.
Republican narrative
While this sentence is well-deserved, it is unfair to say that any side has a monopoly on political violence, with Boelter's own politics being not entirely clear as well. While this tragedy has been used to demonize Trump and his supporters, it is important not to lose sight of all political violence and the bipartisan threats that America's lawmakers face.