The children of slain Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman are calling on President Donald Trump to remove a post on Truth Social that promotes a conspiracy theory alleging Gov. Tim Walz was involved in Hortman's death.
Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband, Mark, were killed in June in what authorities described at the time as their home. as “politically motivated” shootings. State Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife Yvette were also shot in their home that same day.
Vance Bolter Minnesota is charged in the shooting. The manhunt to arrest Bolter was the largest in Minnesota history. He was charged with federal murder charges in July and pleaded not guilty in August.
Trump shared the video, which appeared to be made by another social media user who shared another video, on Saturday. He made unsubstantiated claims linking Walz and alleged fraud in Minnesota programs to the murders. There was no evidence that such a connection existed.
On Saturday, Walz, who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, called Trump's post “dangerous, depraved behavior by the sitting President of the United States,” saying he would “result in the death of more innocent people.”
“America is better than this,” Walz said.
On Sunday, the Hortman children, Colin and Sophie, issued statements condemning the video.
“I ask President Trump to remove the video he shared and apologize to me and my family for posting this misinformation and for using my mother's words to dishonor her memory,” Colin Hortman wrote.
Sophie Hortman echoed the sentiment, calling the video a “painful and false misrepresentation of my mother's final vote.”
“We must create a society where we do not harbor hatred and violence towards our political opponents, and this video promotes a false narrative that fuels the flames of political division,” Sophie Hortman wrote.
“The video the President shared is yet another hurdle our family must overcome as we mourn the loss of my parents, Mark and Melissa, and their loved ones. [dog] Gilbert,” she added. “I ask President Trump to take into account the pain and sadness we have faced and honor the spirit of the holidays we just spent without our parents by removing the post on Truth Social.”
The Hoffman family said in a statement that they “stand with Sophie and Colin Hortman.”
“We are asking President Trump to remove the post spreading conspiracy claims over their parents’ deaths,” the family said in a statement. “These allegations reflect the same hateful lies that motivated the violence and caused further harm.”
“This moment requires responsibility and compassion. Removing the post would be a necessary step towards decency,” the family said.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Hortman's children's remarks or to questions about why Trump shared the video.
Trump shared the video with his administration. grabbed on viral fraud charges in some Minnesota programs in recent weeks.
The Justice Department has been investigating fraud allegations in Minnesota for several years. One investigation The non-profit group Feeding Our Future participated. and has prosecuted more than 70 people since 2022, some of whom are members of the state's Somali community.
