Sen. Mike Lee deletes social media posts about the Minnesota shooting after facing criticism

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, removed posts connected his idiosyncratic X relationship astir Saturday's fatal onslaught connected a Minnesota lawmaker and her hubby aft facing fierce backlash from Democrats astir the postings.

Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat who was friends with the slain lawmaker, told reporters connected Monday that she confronted Lee astir his tweet. “I needed him to perceive from maine straight what interaction I deliberation his cruel connection had connected me, his colleague,” she said.

Lee had written successful 1 station astir the Saturday assassination of Democratic authorities Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, that “this is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way.” In another, helium posted a photograph of the fishy successful the lawsuit and captioned it, "Nightmare connected Waltz Street," an evident notation to the state's Democratic governor, Tim Walz.

Several Democrats had called connected Lee to instrumentality down the posts, which he'd posted connected Saturday and Sunday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said astatine a property league Tuesday helium asked Lee to region them and "he wouldn't perceive to me."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told reporters she besides spoke to Lee astir his tweets, but declined to divulge details of their conversation. “Senator Lee and I had a bully discussion, and I’m precise gladsome helium took it down,” said Klobuchar, who has a narration with Lee from years of moving unneurotic connected the Judiciary Committee.

Some of Lee's posts astir the shooting were inactive disposable arsenic of Tuesday afternoon, including 1 from Saturday nighttime that said, “Marxism kills.”

On Lee's authoritative Senate X account, his posts struck a antithetic tone. "These hateful attacks person nary spot successful Utah, Minnesota, oregon anyplace successful America. Please articulation maine successful condemning this senseless violence, and praying for the victims and their families," helium wrote.

Prosecutors said the suspect, Vance Boelter, is besides liable for the non-fatal shooting of authorities Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said Boelter’s car had notebooks with the names of much than 45 authorities and national elected officials, and the national transgression ailment against him says officials named successful the notebooks were “mostly oregon each Democrats.”

Lee did not reply questions astir the posts from NBC News connected Monday, and his bureau did not instantly respond to a petition for remark astir wherefore they were taken down connected Tuesday.

Smith spoke to Lee connected Monday and aboriginal told reporters she'd felt compelled to face him astir the posts.

“I wanted him to cognize however overmuch symptom that caused maine and the different radical successful my authorities and I deliberation astir the country, who deliberation that this was a brutal attack,” Smith told reporters successful the Capitol connected Monday.

Smith's lawman main of staff, Ed Shelleby, besides lambasted the posts successful an email to Lee's bureau shared with NBC News.

“Is this however your squad measures success? Using the bureau of US Senator to station not conscionable 1 but a bid of jokes astir an assassination—is that a palmy time of enactment connected Team Lee?," Shelleby wrote.