Klobuchar on slain Minnesota lawmaker: 'Such a decent person'
Sen. Amy Klobuchar mourned the two Minnesota state lawmakers shot early Saturday at their homes in what leaders are calling an "act of targeted political violence," calling them "friends" and "decent people" who were simply "trying to represent the people that they were elected to represent."
The Minnesota Democrat told ABC News' "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz that people should "know" the victims of political violence and threats -- in this case, state Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was killed alongside her husband, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, who underwent surgery after the attack.
"She was a true leader, and I loved her work, but was always so grounded and such a decent person. I think that's probably the best word to describe her. You look at her pictures and you know what she was about. So we miss her greatly, and so when you hear about statistics about political violence and threats, I just want people to know who we're talking about," Klobuchar said about Hortman.
"Or Senator Hoffman. Equally respected. Got into politics because his daughter has spina bifida and she couldn't get insurance, and he wanted to advocate for her. Decent people who didn't deserve this to happen to them," Klobuchar continued.
Authorities have identified 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter as the suspected gunman and are continuing to search for him.
Klobuchar described Hortman as an illustrious lawmaker and compassionate public servant, who began her career in public service as a mother with young children who had a background working at her father's auto parts company. Hortman easily juggled teaching Sunday school, leading a Girl Scout troop and training service dogs for veterans, Klobuchar said.
The senator said she first got to know Hortman when she was a young lawmaker and she was struck with how she was able to know "practically every person in her district."
"Melissa Hortman was a woman that I wish everyone around the country knew," Klobuchar told Raddatz. "When you think about a true public servant who goes into it for the right reasons, it's Melissa."
Klobuchar said that Hortman's ability to "juggle it all" may have contributed to the political success she'd been able to notch, especially in the past year with a divided legislature, when she worked alongside the state Senate's Republican leader to artfully negotiate a budget and avoid government shutdown.
When she was the Speaker of the House, Hortman also spearheaded landmark legislation like paid family leave and free lunch for students, Klobuchar said.
Klobuchar called the suspect "evil," and "smart" on Sunday.
"He's evil. He is smart. He has killed without a second thought, and there's a $50,000 reward," she told Raddatz.
The Minnesota Democrat lauded the cooperation between Minnesota leaders and state law enforcement.
"We couldn't be getting more help from law enforcement," Klobuchar said, applauding also local police officers' swift work on the ground, when they checked in on Hortman soon after getting called to Hoffman's house.
"Those local police officers at that moment not only appear to have saved [Hoffman] and his wife's life, but also had given us major leads to who he was and why he was doing this," Klobuchar said.
Klouchar said she "hasn't seen" the target list written by the gunman, something that law enforcement sources say had dozens of Minnesota Democrats on it.
Those on the list included Minnesota lawmakers Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and state Attorney General Keith Ellison, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the matter.
Klobuchar called political violence a "rampant problem" and said she "believes" that could have been one of the gunman's motivations for the Minnesota lawmaker shootings.
"I believe that there's some things in the manifesto that would lead you down that trail to believe that this was one of his motivating forces," Klobuchar said.
She also highlighted the bipartisan statement against political violence that the Minnesota congressional delegation released after the shootings on Saturday.
"You speak with one voice to condemn this political violence. There's no place for this politically motivated violence in our democracy," Klobuchar said on Sunday. "This is a rampant problem that the public and all of us have to deal with -- and also against judges, and all of us should condemn all of that violence," she said.
