Conspiracy theories about Minnesota shooter aren't just deflection. They're dangerous

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Conspiracy theories about Minnesota shooter aren't just deflection. They're dangerous
False counter-narratives signal to other terrorists that MAGA has their back

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published June 16, 2025 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) Since the tragic events in Minnesota on early Saturday morning that left two dead and two others in critical condition, state authorities have painted a clear picture of what Vance Boelter, 57, is accused of doing. They say Boelter murdered former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and also shot State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., called the shootings "a politically motivated assassination" targeting Democrats. Police recovered a list of around 70 potential targets, including politicians, community leaders and abortion providers. All the listed politicians were Democrats. According to the New York Times, Boelter's roommate and longtime friend says the suspected shooter voted for Donald Trump. Boelter's online activities show he is a right-wing Christian who opposes abortion and denies that LGBTQ identities are real. While we don't yet have the text of the manifesto Boelter left behind, it's fairly obvious what's likely to be in it.

Despite these facts, it didn't take long for MAGA forces online to snap into action with a false counter-narrative: that Boelter is a left-winger and Republicans are the real victims. Trump's traveling companion Laura Loomer falsely claimed Boelter "was friends with Walz" and was associated with the "No Kings" protests. "The organizers of NO KINGS and @GovTimWalz need to be detained by the FBI and interrogated," she demanded. Dating "guru"-turned-MAGA influencer Mike Cernovich also blamed Walz, claiming the governor had Hortman — who was actually Walz's friend — "executed" for voting one time with Republicans on a bill. "MORE DEMOCRAT TERR0RISM!" screamed Nick Sortor, a far right influencer with over a million followers on X. Glenn Beck, Breitbart and other far-right outlets went to work on Facebook, suggesting to their audiences that Walz was responsible for the shooting, even though he was on the list of Boelter's targets. Charlie Kirk of Turning Points USA blamed the shooting of Democratic lawmakers and their family members on anyone who objects to rising fascism.

....(snip)....

The first purpose of these disinformation efforts is, of course, to muddy the waters so that people with conservative inclinations, who may still abhor political violence, have a rationale to keep supporting Trump. On Facebook, liberals posting about the shooting are already seeing confused friends and relatives show up in their comments, asserting a connection between Boelter and Walz that isn't there. But the other potential effect of these conspiracy theories, whether intended or not, is to encourage more political violence from the right.

Right-wing conspiracy theories that make excuses for MAGA violence function as incitement in two ways. First, it signals to would-be terrorists that, if they take violent action, they can expect support from MAGA cheerleaders in cyberspace. Second, it creates counter-narratives that allow potential killers a rationale that they are acting in "self-defense." That hurting and killing Democrats is justified because, according to the conspiracists, Democrats started it. ..................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/06/16/conspiracy-theories-about-minnesota-shooter-arent-just-deflection-theyre/