Sen. Mike Lee deletes X posts about Minnesota lawmaker killings amidst intense backlash

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has deleted controversial X posts he made referencing the attacks that were allegedly carried out by Vance Boelter in Minnesota, killing a democratic state senator and injuring another, after enduring major backlash from some of his peers.

One of the many posts from Lee on the attacks read: “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way,” accompanied by a picture of Boelter dressed in police gear as he reportedly knocked on the victims’ door.

Another post included two images of Boelter with the caption “Nightmare on Waltz Street,” referencing Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), the former running mate of Kamala Harris in her failed 2024 presidential campaign.

Senator Lee received backlash from multiple different Minnesotans who did not take kindly to his posts, including a scathing letter from the chief of staff for Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN).

Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) reportedly confronted Senator Lee herself in the halls of Congress Monday, expressing her frustration with his posts. She later told reporters, “I wanted him to know how much pain that caused me and the other people in my state, and I think around the country, who think that this was a brutal attack… I needed him to hear from me directly what impact I think his cruel statement had on me, his colleague.”

During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said, “This is not a joke. I have condemned what Mike Lee did here at home, and I will speak to him about this when I return (to Washington), and what I’m going to tell him is, you know, this isn’t funny what happened here.”

Even Jon Stewart shared critiques about Senator Lee in the latest episode of “The Daily Show.”

Despite removing these posts in particular, Mike Lee has become notorious for his frequent posts on his personal X account, @BasedMikeLee. His posts often stir up controversy amongst X users, as he tends to give personal commentary on current events, both national and global.