US Rep. Van Orden Bashes Walz, Blames Leftists for Minnesota Killings

As news spread of the targeted attacks on Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota over the weekend, Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden weighed in on social media.

“Yesterday, a whole pack of election deniers got together and spewed hate,” Van Orden wrote in a post on X about the national “No Kings” protests that took place Saturday. “One of them decided to murder and attempt to murder some politicians that were not far Left enough for them.”

The post appeared to be alluding to a right-wing speculation that the man identified as the attacker was a “Marxist” — an idea promoted by U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah — and an associate of Minnesota’s Democratic governor.

There is no evidence for the claims, and police have not announced a motive in the shootings.

Erik Nisbet, a professor of communication and policy analysis at Northwestern University, said when politicians and elected leaders spread disinformation, it gives those claims “greater reach and credibility.”

“It’s coming from an elected official,” Nisbet said. “It’s just not some unknown person on the internet.”

Van Orden, a Republican member of Congress, initially said he was “horrified” by the attack in a statement on his official X account. 

“Political violence has no place in America,” Van Orden wrote in the social media post. “I fully condemn this attack, along with all forms of political violence and intimidation.”

However, in more recent posts on his personal X account, he has called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz a “clown” and “stupid” in responding to the governor’s statements about the killings. He has also commented without evidence on the motive of the suspect.

The social media posts came after former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home Saturday. Minnesota Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also injured in a shooting at their home on Saturday.

Vance Boelter, 57, was arrested Sunday for the attack, which Walz called an act of “targeted political violence.”

In a response to a post on X from Walz, Van Orden wrote that Walz “appoints political assassins to boards.”

“Good job, stupid,” Van Orden wrote in that post.

Walz did reappoint Boelter to a state board in 2019, according to Politifact. However, that report found there was “no evidence” the two were “closely acquainted.”

There are also 11 Democratic lawmakers from Wisconsin named in a manifesto written by Boelter, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.

In a statement, William Garcia, the chair of the 3rd Congressional District Democrats of Wisconsin, condemned Van Orden’s comments and called for an apology.

“Van Orden can not help but sow anger and vitriol even when his fellow lawmakers are under attack,” Garcia wrote in the statement.

Jeffrey Blevins, a professor at the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Cincinnati, called Van Orden’s comments about the shooting “disheartening.”

“Sadly, he’s not the only one who’s doing it (spreading disinformation),” Blevins said.

“Not only are they representatives, but they’re influencers as well,” Blevins added. “They have a large audience and feed right back into that echo chamber.”

Van Orden was not the only elected leader or high-profile Republican to make unsupported claims about the shooter. In a since-deleted post on X, Lee posted a photo of Boelter and wrote, “this is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way.” Another post on X from Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, blamed the attack on the “extreme left.”

In a post on X about the shooting and other recent incidents, Elon Musk wrote, “The far left is murderously violent.” Musk has 221 million followers on X.

Misinformation is often shared when people are simply misinformed, but spreading disinformation often serves a “political interest,” according to Blevins. Many people are also getting their news and information from their own “political echo chamber” which can lead to an increase in political polarization, Blevins said.

“They’re (people consuming misinformation) getting information directly from politicians that they follow, pundits that they follow, other people who are in their own political echo chamber,” Blevins said.

Nisbet said people often quickly turn to social media after a crisis or tragedy, even if little information is known about the incident.

“Social media influencers, everyday users, politicians on social media, do not have the same restraint as, for example, credible media sources that are waiting for official word from an investigation or on the motivations of an attacker,” Nisbet said.

Blevins said lawmakers and commentators who spread disinformation often face no consequences for their actions.

“What’s really sad is that it seems to be getting worse,” Blevins said. “There is, essentially, no punishment, no consequence for spreading this stuff.”

A spokesperson for Van Orden said he wasn’t available for an interview Tuesday, but sent a statement in response to Garcia’s statement calling for an apology from the lawmaker.

“The reason politically violent rhetoric and political violence has gone on for so long, even going back to people burning cars when President Trump was first elected, is because nobody is holding the perpetrators accountable,” Van Orden wrote in the statement. “Republicans do not push back when we are insulted, and political violence continues because of it. The individuals who spew this hatred need to be called out.”

US Rep. Derrick Van Orden insults Minnesota governor, spreads unfounded theories after shooting was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.