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EXCLUSIVE: Gov. Tim Walz on the Hortmans, conspiracy theories [FULL INTERVIEW]
Gov. Tim Walz sat down with FOX9 for his first TV interview since the assassinations of Melissa and Mark Hortman. He says he pushed through grief, but it hits when he doesn't expect it. He dismissed some conspiracy theories about the accused gunman and addressed criticism of his sometimes heated remarks aimed at President Trump. He also discussed his plans and how the Hortman murders might impact them.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Republicans are calling out far-right social media influencer Melissa Tate for spreading misinformation about the late Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and the suspect who assassinated her in June in a political attack.
Calling out misinformation
What they're saying:
Tate posted a thread on X on Sept. 16 that included a video featuring Rep. Hortman and how she voted with Republicans to cut access to MinnesotaCare for undocumented immigrants, which was part of an agreement as Minnesota lawmakers worked to pass a two-year budget earlier this year.
In the thread, Tate said Hortman was assassinated by a Democrat who was appointed to a board by Gov. Tim Walz and was "likely assassinated for siding with Republicans in voting against Medicare for illegals. President Trump must point this out."
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Trump: Gov. Walz didn't ask for flags at half staff after lawmaker shootings
President Donald Trump on Monday said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz never asked him for the flags at the nation's capitol to be lowered to half-staff after the June 14 killings of Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.
"This was after both Hortman and Hoffman voted with Republicans to oppose Medicare for Illegals. Remind the left this when they talk about violence being ‘on both side,'" the post said, adding that the suspect in the case was "a leftist Democrat."
The timing of Tate's post came the same day a motive for conservative influencer Charlie Kirk's shooting was revealed by the FBI, with authorities and his family noting his political viewpoints had shifted left as of late.
The other side:
Minnesota Republicans are now calling out Tate for spreading misinformation about the late Democratic lawmaker and the man suspected of killing her and her husband, Mark Hortman, as well as shooting and injuring Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.
Minnesota state Rep. Nolan West, who represents Minnesota District 32A, responded to the post on X, calling Tate's posts "nonsense."
He said the shooter was "definitely not a Democrat," adding he "was appointed to a board so that's true, but it wasn't a partisan position" and that Hortman "was not murdered for siding with Republicans. That is completely fabricated."
"It feels like it's radical to not be a lunatic," West concluded his post.
Minnesota state Rep. Mary Franson, who represents District 12B, also responded to the post. She said, Hortman "was not assassinated for joining Republicans. Please don't push this lie — she was assassinated by a crazy person who said he was doing the bidding of Gov. Tim Walz. The murderer was living in an alternate reality."
The suspect was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2016, then reappointed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2019 as a private sector representative to the governor's workforce development council, with the term expiring in 2023.
The Governor’s Office appoints thousands of people from all parties to these boards and commissions – the workforce development council has about 60 people on it. They are unpaid, external boards that the Minnesota Legislature creates. They are not appointments to a position in the governor’s cabinet.
Minnesota lawmaker shootings
The backstory:
Rep. Hortman and her husband Mark, along with their dog, were fatally shot in their Brooklyn Park home on June 14, 2025. Sen. Hoffman and his wife Yvette were injured in their Champlin home. The suspect also went to two other Democratic lawmakers' homes that night.