Following the early Saturday shooting deaths of two Minnesota state senators in their homes, Democratic congressional leaders have demanded increased protection on Capitol Hill.
Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Tina Smith, who were allegedly further targets of the accused assassin, were also accompanied by extra security, according to a statement released Saturday afternoon by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The suspect had a manifesto that “identified many lawmakers and other officials,” according to Chief Mark Bruley of the Brooklyn Park Police Department, who made the announcement during a news conference.
While senators are back in Washington, Schumer said he requested a detailed briefing on member security “immediately” from the Senate sergeant at arms and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
Earlier this week, Schumer requested more security for Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who was forcibly dragged to the floor and detained for disrupting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference.
In a same statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged the U.S. Capitol Police and the sergeant at arms to “ensure the safety of our Minnesota delegation and Members of Congress across the country.”
Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson condemned the killing in harsh terms, but none of them weighed in on whether or not the Minnesota congressional delegation should be given extra protection.
In what Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called “targeted political violence,” Melissa Hortman and her husband were gunned down in their home early Saturday. Hortman had previously served as speaker of the Minnesota House. The residence of Sen. John Hoffman, a second state politician, and his wife was shot many times. Officials are “cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt,” according to Walz.
The senator’s wife Yvette “threw herself on top of her daughter” to protect her from the gunman, according to Hoffman’s nephew, who spoke to a local Minnesota TV station.