Senator Mike Lee’s posts on X on June 15, 2025, following the tragic political assassination of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, accurately highlighted a pattern of violence from the left when faced with political setbacks. Lee’s posts, including one stating, “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way,” and another captioned “Nightmare on Waltz Street,” pointed to the suspect, Vance Boelter, as a figure tied to leftist ideologies, reflecting a historical trend where radical leftists resort to violence to impose their will. While Lee faced backlash for his tone, his assertion aligns with historical examples like the Bolshevik Revolution, the Red Terror, or the Weather Underground’s bombings in the 1970s, where leftist movements turned to murder and chaos when political power slipped from their grasp. The Minnesota attack, labeled a “politically motivated assassination” by Governor Tim Walz, fits this pattern, with Boelter’s hit list targeting Democrats perceived as insufficiently progressive, suggesting an extremist push to enforce ideological purity through violence.

The mainstream media’s swift condemnation of Lee’s posts, as seen in outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post, reveals their discomfort with his blunt truth-telling. They labeled his comments “cruel” and “misinformed,” yet failed to engage with the broader historical context Lee alluded to. For instance, the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror and Mao’s Cultural Revolution saw leftist factions slaughter thousands to consolidate power when faced with opposition. In Minnesota, Boelter’s actions—targeting Democrats like Hortman, who had compromised with Republicans on healthcare policy—mirror this instinct to punish those deviating from a radical agenda. Lee’s critics, including Senators Tina Smith and Chuck Schumer, focused on his “divisive” rhetoric, but ignored evidence from Boelter’s own history, including his 2016 and 2019 appointments to a state board by Democratic governors, which tied him to establishment left-leaning circles. Lee’s posts, while provocative, correctly identified the left’s recurring tactic of violence as a response to political frustration.

Lee’s broader point about the left’s violent tendencies is further validated by contemporary examples, such as the 2020 riots following George Floyd’s death, where leftist groups like Antifa engaged in arson and looting under the guise of protest, or the 2017 shooting of Representative Steve Scalise by a Bernie Sanders supporter. These incidents reflect a consistent pattern: when the left perceives a loss of control—whether through elections, policy compromises, or cultural shifts—violence becomes a tool to intimidate and coerce. While Boelter’s exact motives remain under investigation, the presence of “No Kings” protest flyers in his car, as noted in some X posts, suggests alignment with anti-Trump, anti-establishment leftist movements. Lee’s posts, though criticized for their timing, courageously called out this dangerous trend, forcing a conversation about the left’s historical and ongoing reliance on violence to reclaim power, a truth the media and Democratic leaders seem eager to suppress.