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Committee split over calling on former president to remove post about Minnesota lawmakers

Oversight Committee · January 8, 2026

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Summary

Committee members debated whether to call on former President Trump to take down a Truth Social repost that promoted conspiracy theories about Minnesota legislators Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman; some members condemned the post, while others refused to issue a formal condemnation.

Speaker 1 asked the panel to "condemn" a repost on Truth Social by former President Trump that promoted conspiracy theories implying Minnesota legislators Mark and Melissa Hortman had been assassinated. "Governor Walz says this behavior will get more innocent people killed," Speaker 1 said and urged colleagues to ask the president to take the post down.

Speaker 3, identifying long service on the panel from Minnesota, called the allegations "beyond the pale," noting personal connection: "I served with Melissa Hortman my entire 13 years," and said the claim was deeply offensive. Speaker 3 said the family and the community have been scarred by the earlier tragedy referenced in the remarks.

When asked directly whether they would call on the president to remove the post, several members—including Speaker 5—declined to join such a condemnation. Speaker 5 said, "I am not going to engage in the silly condemnation game," and multiple voices in the room answered "No" when asked for a simple yes-or-no.

The exchange ended without a formal resolution or recorded vote. The panel proceeded after the back-and-forth, with chairs restoring order and members reclaiming time. The transcript contains inconsistent spellings of Melissa Hortman's surname (appearing as "Hortman" and "Holman" in different segments); this report uses the corrected, commonly verified spelling, Melissa Hortman.