Hortman children urge Trump to pull assassination conspiracy video
The children of slain Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman are publicly asking President Donald Trump to remove and apologize for a video he shared that falsely suggests Gov. Tim Walz orchestrated their parents’ killing as retaliation for her vote on MNsure coverage for undocumented immigrants. The FOX 9 report details how the video repackages long‑running conspiracy theories about accused gunman Vance Boelter’s prior board appointment and Hortman’s reluctant vote, while federal prosecutors have explicitly called Boelter’s letter alleging Walz ordered other killings 'fantasy and delusion' and say he acted alone. Colin and Sophie Hortman recount their mother’s anguish over the vote and warn that the killer himself was driven by conspiracy theories, underscoring the danger of misinformation.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- President Trump on Saturday shared a video on Truth Social implying Gov. Tim Walz was behind the assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, tying it to her vote to end MNsure coverage for undocumented immigrants and to the Minnesota fraud scandal.
- Hortman’s son Colin and daughter Sophie released statements through a Minnesota House spokesperson calling the video a false, painful distortion of their mother’s final vote, asking Trump to take it down and apologize, and describing how she wept over the difficult budget‑deal decision.
- Federal prosecutors have formally dismissed a letter Boelter sent the FBI claiming Walz directed him to kill other officials, calling it a work of 'fantasy and delusion' and stating Boelter acted alone in the Hortman killings, undercutting the conspiracy’s central premise.
đź“Š Relevant Data
In the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal in Minnesota, federal prosecutors charged 78 suspects with defrauding over $250 million in federal child nutrition funds, with most defendants being Somali Americans.
2020s Minnesota fraud scandals - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
Somali Americans constitute approximately 107,000 people or about 2% of Minnesota's population as of 2024 estimates.
By the numbers: Minnesota's Somali population, according to Census data — KTTC
The end of MinnesotaCare eligibility for undocumented adults in 2025 affects approximately 15,000 individuals, with coverage ending at the end of 2025.
Undocumented immigrants lose access to MinnesotaCare — Sahan Journal
Minnesota's unauthorized immigrant population is estimated at 100,000 in 2023, with 36% from Mexico, 7% from Guatemala, 7% from El Salvador, and 16% from Africa.
Profile of the Unauthorized Population - MN — Migration Policy Institute
Somali immigration to Minnesota began primarily due to refugee resettlement programs in the 1990s, facilitated by voluntary agencies like Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities, attracted by job opportunities and welfare benefits.
How did MN get the nation's largest Somali population? — Star Tribune
In Minnesota's social services fraud schemes, including child care, ongoing investigations as of 2025 involve over $1 billion in fraud, with allegations centered on Somali-American-run centers.
2020s Minnesota fraud scandals - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
đź“° Source Timeline (1)
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