Mike Lee Silent After 'Disgusting' Murder Post

Official portrait of U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), 2017. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Senate. Public domain.

Senator Mike Lee didn't wait for the bodies to be buried. Just hours after the June 14, 2025 assassination of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, the Utah Republican logged into X (formerly Twitter) and blasted out a meme that sent the political world spinning.

The caption read, "This is what happens (w)hen Marxists don't get their way," according to Axios.

He pinned it to his profile. He followed it up with a second jab, a reference to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), with a post saying, "Nightmare on Waltz Street."

But here's the catch — the suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, wasn't a Marxist. He was a Trump supporter with staunch anti-abortion beliefs, a man whose conservative ideology was known to friends, family, and, eventually, law enforcement.

A Political Flashpoint Amid Real-World Grief

The shooting deaths of Rep. Hortman and her husband, along with the wounding of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife, rocked Minnesota and reignited national conversations around the safety of public servants. Boelter's alleged hit list reportedly included nearly 70 Democratic targets, and officials quickly labeled the attack politically motivated.

As tributes poured in, Lee's comments didn't just land wrong — they detonated.

Senator Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat and friend of Hortman's, confronted Lee face-to-face. "I needed him to hear from me directly what impact I think his cruel statement had on me," Smith told reporters, as reported by CBS.

"It just further fuels this hatred and misinformation," Smith added, as reported by CNN.

Behind the scenes, Smith's deputy chief of staff Ed Shelleby didn't mince words. In an email obtained by CBS, he wrote that Lee "exploited the murder of a lifetime public servant and her husband to post some sick burns about Democrats ... Have you absolutely no conscience?"

Dodging Accountability

When reporters sought comment, Lee wasn't just silent — he ran. Literally.

NBC News captured footage of Lee and his staff quickly fleeing media questions, with one aide reportedly shielding the senator behind an iPad.

Reporters asked if he regretted the post. He offered no response.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the post on the Senate floor, calling it "reckless and beneath the dignity of his office," and warning that Lee's social media use could "risk escalating a perilous moment," according to CBS.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) echoed that sentiment, stating, "This is not a laughing matter," according to Axios.

The Meme-ification of Tragedy

This isn't the first time Lee has turned to inflammatory memes. On his "BasedMikeLee" X account, he frequently posts dozens of times per day — reportedly sharing content that often vilifies Democrats as Marxists.

In recent weeks, he has accused Democrats of everything from loving eugenics to "sowing division" in America, according to MSNBC.

Even after reports confirmed Boelter's deep ties to conservative ideologies, Lee doubled down. According to MSNBC, on June 17, he replied to a post by Elon Musk that labeled the far left "murderously violent" by writing "Fact Check: TRUE."

Norm Ornstein, editor at The Atlantic, called Lee's actions "disgusting" and accused him of spreading harmful disinformation, according to Axios.

Deflect, Divide, Distract

The facts surrounding Boelter were clear within hours of the tragedy. According to friends and his roommate, Boelter was a Trump supporter and "would be offended if people called him a Democrat," according to Axios.

Yet Lee, a sitting U.S. senator, pinned one of the inflammatory posts atop his X profile — a post he eventually deleted only after bipartisan criticism mounted.

Why It Matters

Mike Lee didn't just tweet through a national tragedy — he tried to rewrite it in real time.

His social media frenzy after the attack wasn't a cry for unity or facts. It was a textbook case of a political figure twisting truth to stir outrage and control the story before the bodies were even cold. With political violence rising and trust in government circling the drain, Lee's performance felt less like leadership and more like cynical theater.

References: GOP senator deletes inflammatory social media posts about Minnesota shootings | Sen. Tina Smith confronts Sen. Mike Lee over "cruel" post on Minnesota lawmaker shootings | Mike Lee's new identity speaks volumes about MAGA | Sen. Mike Lee called to resign for "disgusting" posts about Minnesota shooting | Mike Lee Flees Questions About Deranged Assassin Tweet