The House of Representatives on Tuesday condemned the June 14 killings of Minnesota State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, along with the attempted murder of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife.
Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA) spoke on the House floor, calling it a tragic moment. “Our hearts go to the families and to all impacted,” he said, addressing lawmakers during debate on the resolution.
Speaker Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in what authorities say was a targeted political attack. Senator Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, remain hospitalized in critical condition.
“This violence was meant to terrorize,” Garcia said. “It was an attack on democracy and on all of us.”
He credited law enforcement for acting quickly and confirmed that the alleged shooter had a list of other officials. The documents reportedly included names of more than a dozen lawmakers, among them Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, a member of the House Oversight Committee.
“This wasn’t just a lone act,” Garcia said. “It was planned. The intent was to spread fear.”
Congresswoman Morrison of Minnesota introduced the resolution, which passed with bipartisan support.
This resolution is basically telling every elected official to pick a side. It says you can’t just say you’re against the violence; you have to fight the hate that causes it.
Garcia is done with the wishy-washy half-measures. “We cannot stay silent while hate grows,” he said. “Every official, at every level, must reject this.”
So while the investigation is still a black box, they’re not waiting. They want more cops, better plans, and a clear message sent to the whole country: if you bring violence into politics, you’ve crossed a line you can’t uncross.
“We stand together on this,” Garcia said. “And we will not be intimidated.”
