Burcum: As Trump refuses to call Walz, two Minnesota Republicans show grace following a tragedy

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Perhaps it was too much in this age of deep political divisions to expect the nation to unite in mourning after the chilling assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband this weekend, a shooting spree that left another legislator and his wife with life-threatening injuries.

Even so, the lack of compassion and missing calls for unity in the tragedy’s aftermath are deeply distressing.

Vice President JD Vance spoke with Gov. Tim Walz Saturday after the targeted nature of the attacks began to become clear. So did Doug Ford, premier of Ontario. But President Donald Trump has said he will not call Walz following the deadly shootings.

“I’m not calling him,” Trump told the Associated Press. “The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”

Condolences from the White House would be a nicety, to be sure, but one that should be automatic and acknowledges that heartbreaking losses transcend politics.

Even more disturbing is the tidal wave of conspiracy theories about the violence and who’s to blame that has swamped the nation, dividing us further at a moment when we desperately need to come together.

Unhinged hot takes began spewing on social media soon after the news broke and haven’t stopped despite newly available or easily accessible facts providing a reality check. It’s a distressing state of affairs, one that reflects poorly on our national character and discourse. Making this even more appalling that individuals retweeting some of the most irresponsible observations include high-profile political and business leaders who should have better judgment, such as Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Elon Musk.

For some callous individuals, DFL House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman’s death wasn’t a moment for sorrow. It was an opportunity to exploit the tragedy for political gain, such as by repeatedly linking Walz and the broader “left” to the main suspect, Vance Boelter, as Lee did.

Never mind that the two legislators shot were Democrats and that other names from the same political party were on the hit list found in Boelter’s vehicle. Or, that those who knew Boelter told the Star Tribune that he “leaned toward conservative views, at least once registering to vote as a Republican and identifying as an evangelical Christian. One of his closest friends said Boelter voted for President Donald Trump last fall.”

Others, likely on the other side of the political spectrum, appeared to see the shooting through existing bias against police, recklessly speculating that Boelter’s use of what appeared to be a vehicle with law enforcement markings suggested a cop committed the crime.

But in Minnesota, used law enforcement vehicles are readily available online and relatively inexpensive. Anyone can buy them. A 15-second Google search would have revealed this. That was apparently too much effort for one large well-known Bluesky account with nearly 300,000 followers.

On Saturday, the account posted: “Hmmmm . . . I wonder how the Minnesota assassin might have had access to a police uniform, a police badge, and a police cruiser. Are we *sure* he was ‘impersonating’ a police officer?”

I replied to the post with the information about the public being able to buy used law enforcement vehicles in Minnesota. A quick search online also would have revealed how easy it is to buy equipment making it far too easy to impersonate a police officer. But the original post is still up with nearly 12,000 likes. My fact check, in contrast, got two reposts and 21 likes.

It is easier than ever in this Age of Information to exercise our constitutionally protected right to free expression. What’s forgotten too often is that this right comes with responsibilities.

Every one of us is now a publisher, so to speak, with social media platforms like X, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. Verifying what you’re sharing is one of the most basic obligations.

Another: While you are free to make extraordinary claims, doing so comes with the responsibility of providing extraordinary evidence. Too many don’t understand that link, recklessly promulgating ludicrous leaps of logic and arrogantly considering it someone else’s responsibility to fact check and guard against harmful consequences.

Thankfully, two high-profile Minnesota Republicans provided a respite from the weekend’s online cesspool of conspiracy theories.

Former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka took to X (formerly Twitter) to talk about Boelter’s appointment to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board. Some online commenters have recklessly run with this to link Boelter as a Walz ally or even henchman.

Gazelka, who is no longer a legislator but remains influential, wasn’t having it. On Saturday, he posted: “Generally a gov or other leader who puts forth names for people to be pointed to boards, etc. do not know many of the people they are putting on boards, but rather or relying on others to vet them. I don’t think it really matters which side this whack job was on, [he] was evil.”

He added this in a response to someone saying Boelter must be a liberal because he served on that board: “There is more to the story. Wait for all the facts.”

Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, is one of the Legislature’s fiery orators. No one doubts his conservative credentials.

Like Gazelka, Hudson also took to X to tackle conspiracy theories, specifically about the specious link between Walz and Boelter. Hudson brought his usual razor-edged rhetoric in response to an inflammatory tweet by Utah’s Sen. Lee, posting “This has nothing to do with Governor Walz.”

Hudson followed up several times in response to critics, saying that he’s not a fan of Walz but that suggesting the governor “has direct involvement is beyond the pale.”

Gazelka and Hudson are to be commended for setting a conscientious communications example. It took courage to call for calm and facts amid the hurricane-force scapegoating still sweeping through social media. They both got a lot of pushback.

More of us need to follow their lead, if not actively combating disinformation, then at least in choosing not to share it. This is not just about being a responsible social user. It’s about being a good citizen and person of good character.