en.m.wikipedia.org
Right-wing misinformation
Many prominent right-wing and far-right figures falsely claimed that the suspect, Vance Boelter, was left-wing, a Democrat, and an ally of Governor
Tim Walz.<a href="
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Elon Musk shared tweets saying that "the left" had killed Hortman and tweeted, "The far left is murderously violent."<a href="
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Mike Lee tweeted multiple times that the suspect was a "Marxist" and blamed the assassination on Walz.<a href="
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Donald Trump Jr. claimed the suspect "seems to be a leftist" and "was a Democrat".<a href="
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Bernie Moreno and U.S. representative
Derrick Van Orden both suggested that the shooter was a far-left extremist.<a href="
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Mike Cernovich suggested that Walz had ordered the assassinations, and
Laura Loomer called Boelter one of "Walz's goons" and called for Walz to be "detained" and "interrogated" by the FBI.<a href="
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Benny Johnson claimed the suspect was a "Tim Walz associate".<a href="
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No Kings protest in Texas was that of the suspect.<a href="
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The Guardian called this "the latest example of a right-wing media ecosystem that swiftly spins up narratives that serve their political agendas after tragic events, regardless of accuracy, and does not correct them after further information shows them to be untrue or incomplete".<a href="
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The misinformation was condemned by Minnesota state lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats alike, who said that intensely partisan rhetoric was harmful. Unlike their state legislature counterparts, Minnesota's Republican congressional delegation did not address Mike Lee's comments.<a href="
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After it became known that the suspect was a Trump voter, unsubstantiated claims that the killings were a "false flag" by the "deep state" and a "psyop" spread on social media. Alex Jones claimed Boelter was a "patsy" who was "being framed". Laura Loomer suggested that Boelter was not the actual perpetrator.<a href="
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The Justice Department said Friday in a court filing it will seek the death penalty for Payton Gendron, who killed 10 people at a Tops Supermarket in Buffalo in May 2022.
abcnews.go.com
Gendron was motivated by a racist, far-right conspiracy known as replacement theory and he wanted to "inspire others to commit similar attacks," according to a criminal complaint. Markings on the rifle used in the shooting included the phrases "here's your reparations" and "the great replacement," the complaint said.
Crusius surrendered and was arrested and charged with
capital murder in connection with the shooting. He posted a manifesto with
white nationalist and
anti-immigrant themes on the imageboard
8chan shortly before the attack.<a href="
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Christchurch mosque shootings earlier that year and the far-right conspiracy theory known as the
Great Replacement as inspiration for the attack. In 2023, Crusius pleaded guilty to 90 federal
murder and
hate crime charges,<a href="
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The gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, has pleaded guilty to capital murder.
www.wlbt.com
Crusius pleaded guilty to the state charges on April 21, 2025, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.<a href="
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www.foxnews.com
