Senate Staffer Issues Viral Blast Of Mike Lee For Ugly Remarks On Hortman Killing
Sen. Tina Smith’s (D-MN) chief of staff sharply criticized Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in a strongly worded email on Monday, after Lee circulated right-wing conspiracy theories regarding the recent shooting of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, which left one couple dead.
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark were killed in the shooting Sunday that Democratic Gov. Tim Walz described as “politically motivated.”
Smith claimed in an interview Sunday that she was on a list of the alleged shooter’s targets.
In an email to Lee’s office, Smith’s chief of staff Ed Shelleby slammed the GOP senator for making light of the matter.
“I knew Melissa Hortman. Many people in this office did. She was a longtime friend of Senator Smith’s, who had seen her hours before she was murdered,” he wrote.
“So you’ll forgive my candor as I speak through enormous grief,” Shelleby added. "Why would you use the awesome power of a United States Senate Office to compound people's grief? Is this how your team measures success? Using the office of a US Senator to post not just one but a series of jokes about an assassination — is that a successful day of work on Team Lee? Did you come into the office Monday and feel proud of the work you did over the weekend?
“I pray to God that none of you ever go through anything like this," Shelleby added. "I pray that Senator Lee and your office begin to see the people you work with in this building as colleagues and human beings.”
He continued: “And I pray that if God forbid, you ever find yourselves having to deal with anything similar, you find yourselves on the receiving end of the kind of grace and compassion that Senator Mike Lee could not muster.”
Shelleby’s letter has gone viral on social media where journalists and commentators are praising him for confronting the senator over his controversial remarks following Sunday’s incident.
“Just re-read this. As a Hill staffer, it’s especially gut-wrenching to read Senator Smith’s staffer appeal to the humanity of another colleague in Senator Mike Lee’s office following Lee’s heartless comments over the weekend following the horrific violence in MN,” wrote Robert Julien, a staffer for Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) on the social platform X.
Writer Pam Fessler said: “Good for this staffer. There’s no place in our political discourse for Lee’s despicable posts.”
“Read this. And then think of the cruelty and lack of humanity from Mike Lee,” said Democratic activist Rebecca Katz.
Reprinted with permission from Alternet.
Trump Cabinet Nominee Withdraws Over (Sane) January 6 Comments
Kathleen Sgamma, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Bureau of Land Management, sent shockwaves throughout Washington, D.C., on Thursday after withdrawing her name just hours before her confirmation hearing.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah announced Sgamma’s withdrawal at the start of the hearing, but Politico reported that her decision came after investigative outlet Documented published a 2021 memo where the oil and gas lobbyist condemned Trump’s role in spreading misinformation about the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
“I am disgusted by the violence I witnessed yesterday and President Trump’s role in spreading misinformation that incited it. I’m disgusted he discredited all the good work he did reorienting the judiciary back toward respect for the rule of law and constitution by dishonoring the vote of the People and the rulings of those very same judges on his numerous challenges,” the memo quotes Sgamma saying.
Sgamma likely withdrew her nomination not because she’s still upset with Trump, but because the leak of her past comments is embarrassing for both of them. After all, she knew about the Capitol attack when she was nominated and seemed totally on board with Trump’s energy agenda at the time.
While her comments about the insurrection were out of step with today’s GOP, they reflected the outrage that many Republicans shared in the immediate aftermath. And though Sgamma distanced herself from Trump at that time, she’s certainly no liberal—she even contributed to Project 2025.
Trump has continued defending the insurrectionists, calling them “patriots” and even pardoning them on Day 1 of his second term. He’s since doubled down on his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, insisting that anyone who refuses to spread his lies is the real problem. And it seems that Sgamma has now bought into Trump’s propaganda.
“Unfortunately, at this time, I need to withdraw my nomination. I will continue to support President Trump and fight for his agenda to Unleash American Energy in the private sector,” Sgamma said in her resignation statement.
While some Republican senators told Politico they weren’t given a heads-up about the withdrawal, some Trump allies, including former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, suggested that Sgamma’s withdrawal was inevitable.
“Individuals who know their views don’t align with the president… cause needless harm and conflict, hindering the president’s agenda,” he wrote on X.
Sgamma’s resignation marks the third Trump cabinet pick to either withdraw or have their nomination pulled.
Earlier, the White House backed off nominating Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York for United Nations ambassador, fearing losing a reliable GOP vote in their razor-thin House majority. Similarly, David Weldon’s nomination to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was pulled once it became clear he didn’t have the votes to get confirmed.
With the Bureau of Land Management overseeing energy production on federally owned lands—a key part of Trump’s second-term priorities—it remains to be seen whether his energy agenda will take another hit following Sgamma’s withdrawal.
While her decision may have been political, it also highlights the ongoing consequences of the insurrection, raising questions about whether there’s truly a divide between Trump and those who refuse to embrace his false election claims.
Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.