Suspect in killing & shooting of MN lawmakers had hit list of nearly 70 targets

Summary

The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell: Episode Summary

Title: Suspect in Killing & Shooting of MN Lawmakers Had Hit List of Nearly 70 Targets
Host: Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC
Release Date: June 17, 2025

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Introduction to the Tragedy

Lawrence O'Donnell opens the episode by expressing profound shock and disbelief over a disturbing letter he received, unprecedented in his experience within the U.S. Senate. This letter, authored by Ed Shelby, Deputy Chief of Staff to Minnesota Senator Tina Smith, condemns Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah for his insensitive social media remarks following the tragic assassination of Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband.

"I am holding in my hands tonight a letter unlike any I have ever read... Senator Mike Lee has no decency."
[01:01]

Ed Shelby's Condemnation of Senator Mike Lee

Ed Shelby's letter articulates intense grief and anger towards Senator Mike Lee and his staff for making humorous comments about the assassination, which Shelby argues compounded the national tragedy. He questions the morality and judgment of Lee's office, emphasizing the personal and political repercussions of their actions.

"Did you see this as an excellent opportunity to get likes and retweets? Have you absolutely no conscience, no decency?"
[02:15]

Historical Context and Unprecedented Events

O'Donnell highlights a historic moment where Senator Alex Padilla became the first U.S. senator to be physically restrained and handcuffed for asking a question to a Cabinet member. This unprecedented incident underscores the heightened tensions and drastic measures taken in the current political climate, likened to wartime responses.

"There are reasons why that has never happened before in American history. The main reason is Donald Trump."
[06:45]

Federal Overreach and Misconduct

The discussion transitions to the actions of federal agents in Los Angeles, where overzealous and unnecessary force was used against an army veteran and Senator Padilla during what should have been a secure and peaceful environment. O'Donnell criticizes the invocation of extreme measures in non-threatening situations, pointing to the broader pattern of abuse under the Trump administration.

"They were behaving as if they were in a war zone... There's no more secure building in Los Angeles than the building where Kristi Noem told the lie."
[17:50]

Alex Padilla's Account and Response

Senator Alex Padilla provides a detailed account of his encounter, emphasizing his peaceful intent to gather information and the administrative overreaction that led to his physical restraint. He criticizes the lack of accountability and the absence of an apology from Secretary Christie Noem.

"If some good comes out of this... Maybe that's a good thing."
[19:30]

Impact on Immigration Policies

The episode delves into the inconsistencies and reversals in immigration enforcement under Donald Trump's administration. O'Donnell cites a memo revealing halted immigration actions in essential sectors, contradicting Trump's promises of mass deportations. The discussion underscores the inefficacy and contradictions within the administration's immigration policies.

"Donald Trump has actually deported fewer people than any president in the last 35 years."
[23:50]

Law Enforcement's Response to the Assassination

Joe Thompson, acting U.S. attorney in Minnesota, describes the meticulous planning behind Vance Belter's assassination plot against nearly 70 democratic officials. Thompson details Belter's methodical approach, including surveillance and the compilation of victim lists, highlighting the severity of the threat to democracy.

"Belter stalked his victims like prey... He conducted surveillance of their homes and took notes about the location of their homes."
[31:34]

Governor Tina Smith Confronts Senator Mike Lee

In the wake of the tragedy, Governor Tina Smith addresses Senator Mike Lee directly, expressing the deep personal pain and national impact of his derogatory remarks. She demands accountability and underscores the emotional toll on her and the broader community.

"I needed him to hear from me directly what impact I think his cruel statement had on me."
[33:37]

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's Perspective

Keith Ellison joins the discussion, sharing his personal connection to the victims and critiquing the Trump administration's role in fostering a divisive and hostile environment. Ellison emphasizes the importance of sustained efforts to counteract fear and maintain democratic integrity.

"If some good comes out of this... maybe that can be a good thing."
[28:46]

Governor Maura Healey on International Relations

Governor Maura Healey of Massachusetts discusses the ramifications of Donald Trump's failed trade negotiations, specifically a botched signing ceremony for a trade deal purportedly with the United Kingdom. She emphasizes the detrimental effects on U.S.-Canada relations and the broader economic impacts on American states reliant on Canadian trade.

"Tourism is down across all of our states... This is a serious issue, serious economic harm for Massachusetts."
[43:04]

Conclusion and Forward Look

O'Donnell wraps up the episode by highlighting the ongoing challenges and the need for resilience in the face of political violence and administrative misconduct. He sets the stage for upcoming discussions on related topics, emphasizing the enduring impact on democracy and governance.

"We can't be deterred. We got to know that these kind of incidents are designed to instill fear."
[39:30]

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Key Takeaways:

1. Unprecedented Political Violence: The assassination of MN lawmakers by Vance Belter, who had an extensive hit list, marks a dark chapter in American politics, underscoring the extreme tensions and dangers facing public officials.

2. Federal Overreach and Abuse: The episode highlights troubling instances of federal agents using excessive force against elected officials and civilians, reflecting a broader pattern of abuse and undermining democratic norms.

3. Impact of Political Rhetoric: Senator Mike Lee's derogatory remarks following the assassination have been widely condemned, illustrating the harmful effects of divisive political rhetoric on public sentiment and political discourse.

4. Inconsistent Immigration Policies: The Trump administration's contradictory actions on immigration enforcement reveal systemic inefficiencies and broken promises, affecting essential workers and communities nationwide.

5. International Trade Challenges: Mismanaged trade negotiations, particularly those involving the U.K., have strained U.S.-Canada relations and adversely impacted local economies reliant on cross-border trade.

6. Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Despite the tragedies and political setbacks, leaders like Keith Ellison and Maura Healey stress the importance of perseverance, accountability, and maintaining democratic principles to navigate and overcome current challenges.

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This summary encapsulates the episode's key discussions, insights, and conclusions, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened to the podcast.

Transcript

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[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Well, I am holding in my hands tonight a letter unlike any I have ever read. A letter that I could never have imagined being written by anyone working in the United States Senate to anyone else working in the United States Senate. And we just, we just got this, just got a copy of this. And so I am departing for what from what were my prepared remarks at this moment to insert this into the show. And the reason this letter exists and is such a shock to me based on my own experience of working in the Senate, is that no one like Mike Lee was working in the United States Senate when I worked there. And Mike Lee disgraced himself this weekend and through guilt by association, disgraced every member of his Senate staff with conduct the Senate has never seen before. The Senate has a phrase, point of personal privilege. It is the phrase a senator uses sometimes to ask to speak out of turn in order to say something of the utmost importance to that senator personally. And I want to give that privilege right here, right now to Ed Shelby, who is the Deputy Chief of staff to Minnesota Senator Tina Smith. Ed Shelby wrote this letter to the staff of Utah's Republican Senator Mike Lee after Mike Lee decided to make jokes on social media about the assassination of Minnesota Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband. Ed Shelby's letter to Mike Lee's Senate staff says in part, I knew Melissa Hortman. Many people in this office did. She was a longtime friend of Senator Smith's, who had seen her hours before she was murdered. So you'll forgive my candor as I speak through enormous grief. It is important for your office to know how much additional pain you've caused on an unspeakably horrific weekend. I am not sure what compelled you or. Or your boss to say any of those things. Why would you use the awesome power of a United States Senate office to compound people's grief? Is this how your team measures success, using the office of US Senator to post not just one, but a series of jokes about an assassination? Is that a successful day of work on Team Lee? Did you come into the office Monday and feel proud of the work you did over the weekend? Let's recap Saturday so you fully understand what Minnesota was going through. Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered. Senator Hoffman and his wife were shot numerous times and remain hospitalized. By the grace of God, it appears they will survive. Senators are discovered to be on a hit list of an armed man on the run. Senator Lee's colleagues. And the decision of the office of Senator Mike Lee was not to publicly condemn the violence or to express condolences to her shattered children. It was to intimate that Melissa and Mark somehow deserved this. By making jokes. You exploited the murder of a lifetime public servant and her husband to post some sick burns about Democrats. Did you see this as an excellent opportunity to get likes and retweets? Have you absolutely no conscience, no decency? As of tonight, the answer to that question is Senator Mike Lee has no decency. And Senator Mike Lee's staff now live in the disgrace he has visited upon them. And they all have a moral choice in front of them. Now, Mike Lee purports to be a man of great religiosity, but he is obviously not a man of great morality or great decency. And his staff has to decide tonight what to do about the disgrace he has handed them. We all know what decency demands. Minimal Senate decency demands the resignation of any staff member who does not fully support Mike Lee's despicable tweets. And so if you remain on Mike Lee's staff in the Senate and you find yourself down in the Dirksen cafeteria or walking the halls of the Russell Building or the Dirksen Building or the Hart Senate Office Building or the Capitol, you should know that every other Senate staff member sees you as disgraced, sees you as wearing Mike Lee's disgrace as your own. As long as you decide to continue to serve Mike Lee in the United States Senate, you have your own choice. To make. If you agree with Mike Lee's choice to make jokes about assassination of a Democratic officeholder in Minnesota, if you agree with that, then stay with Mike Lee. Stick with Mike Lee, stick with him all the way. But if you do have decency, you know you only have one choice. Our first guest tonight is the first United States senator in history to be physically prevented from asking a member of the Cabinet a question. California senior Senator Alex Padilla is the first United States Senator in history to be thrown to the ground and handcuffed for asking a Cabinet member a question. There are reasons why that has never happened before in American history. The main reason is Donald Trump. But another reason is overzealous as federal agents behaving as if they were in a war zone when they were in the air conditioned comfort and flawless safety and security of a federal building in Los Angeles where Senator Padilla was meeting with other federal officials. There wasn't a single threatening person in that building because no such person could ever get through the metal detectors and the security checks that allow you to get into that federal building in Los Angeles. And so what we saw that day were federal agents in the name of protecting a Cabinet member, obviously trying to impress that Cabinet member with Trump approved violent overreaction. The Marines pointlessly deployed to Los Angeles with absolutely nothing to do, also overreacted to an army veteran approaching that same federal building where the Veterans Administration office is intending to go to that office, as is his right as a veteran. And and the Marines decided to handcuff him instead of just asking him to stop asking him where he's going and then wait for police officers and security officials to come and ask the same question to see whether he should be allowed to go to the Veterans Administration office where he was going. They were no reason to handcuff that army veteran who has probably visited that VA office, that federal building before. The absurdity of the handcuffing of that veteran was soon proved when they just let him go. And that is the total contribution of the United States Marines to peacekeeping in Los Angeles so far, where the city has been consistently peaceful for several days now, including during this weekend's massive protest march against Donald Trump, against Donald Trump's attempt to be the king of this country. In the Middle east tonight, real military action continues as air attacks exchanged by Israel and Iran have reportedly killed 24 Israelis and at least 224 Iranians, including at least six of Iran's top military leaders. Donald Trump decided to enter the action tonight on social media, posting Iran should have signed the deal I told him to sign. What a shame and waste of human life. Simply stated, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I said it over and over again. Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran instead of trying to actually do something about what's happening in the Middle east or in this country. Donald Trump spent hours on Saturday watching a military parade that he scheduled to honor himself on his birthday. There was a very low turnout of spectators to Donald Trump's birthday military parade where much of the parade route was empty of spectators. Remember now, millions of Trump voters live within an hour's drive of that parade and they refuse to go. There are a million Trump voters in the state of Maryland alone, many of whom had less than a half hour drive to get to the Washington D.C. parade and they refused to go. There's another 2.3 million Trump voters in the neighboring state of Virginia just across the river who refused to go to the Trump birthday parade. And there are millions more Trump voters in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia who were less than two hour drive from the 79 year old's birthday parade and they didn't go. Nothing Donald Trump ever said about his birthday parade could get them to come. Not to mention the tens of millions of Trump voters living elsewhere in the country who could have flown in and didn't. But while Donald Trump's birthday parade was failing to draw a big crowd, protests against Donald Trump all over the country amounted by some estimates to be the single largest total protest assembly in the history of the United States. On one day, the turnout in St. Paul, Minnesota was still strong even though the state was mourning the horrific murders of Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, which was followed in the middle of the night by the attempted murder of Democratic State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, who were both seriously wounded. Law enforcement officials spent the weekend in a manhunt before arresting 57 year old Vance Belter, who is now facing federal and state charges of murder and attempted murder. The investigation revealed a list of other potential assassination targets, including both of Minnesota's Democratic Senators and Minnesota's Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison, who will be joining our discussion this hour. The defendant's roommate said this about the now accused murderer's political thinking. He's a Trump supporter, voted for Trump.

[Alex Padilla]

You like Trump, I like Trump.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Nobody's happy with the government.

[Alex Padilla]

Everybody, everybody's happy. Not happy with this politician does or.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

That politician does, but you don't go.

[Alex Padilla]

On a shooting spot. It's just that's why I hate even.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Talking about it because it's so crazy. Donald Trump, of course, no surprise, has not called Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz to offer condolences or help in the investigation. Governor Waltz was also on the assassination list. NBC News has obtained a memo sent by a senior official of Immigration and Customs Enforcement stopping immigration enforcement action at work sites in the agricultural sector, including fisheries and meatpacking plants, restaurants and hotels. Now, this is written proof that Donald Trump's promises of mass deportation of 15 million people were always lies. The only way Donald Trump could come close to deporting that many people would be to deport every person who is working in this country without a work permit. Donald Trump has actually deported fewer people than any president in the last 35 years, including all of the deportations of his first term. In one term, Joe Biden deported more than double the number of people Donald Trump deported in his one term as president. President Bill Clinton deported more than six times more people than Donald Trump deported in his first term. And so far this year, Donald Trump is not on track to achieving the kind of mass deportations he promised his followers. Which is exactly why Donald Trump sent his ICE agents into workplaces in Los Angeles to try to pump up the deportation numbers. The hard working people who Donald Trump's ICE agents found in those workplaces are not gang members. They are not criminals. Which is why Senator Alex Padilla tried to ask Donald Trump's incompetent and unqualified Secretary of Homeland Security what she was doing in Los Angeles last week, since she was not leading the arrest of violent criminals that Donald Trump promised his voters he would deliver. First, she lied. It was an instinctual response for someone working for Donald Trump, trained by years and years of Donald Trump lying, including the 30,000 lies he told in his first term as president. Of course she lied. Donald Trump wants her to lie. That's why he made her Homeland Security Secretary. And she is herself clearly now a pathological liar. It is pathological to try to lie to us about something we can see with our own eyes. And that is what Donald Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security did when she lied about Senator Alex Padilla. Christy Noem knew exactly where to go to tell her lie. She rushed to the Fox Lying Channel, where the Fox Lying Channel manipulated the video of Senator Alex Padilla to try to. They started the video late to try to support the lie told by Kristi Noem and fully supported by Rupert Murdoch, that Senator Alex Padilla barged into a room and lunged at her in a threatening way so he had to be physically subdued.

[Kristi Noem]

That's the lie and this man burst into the room, started lunging towards the podium, interrupting me and elevating his voice, and was stopped, did not identify himself, and was removed from the room. He didn't say who he was that until he was already had been lunging forward and people were trying to detain him for quite a period of time.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Senator Padilla, as the video shows, never lunged at anyone, immediately said his name, and then became the first United States Senator in history, thrown to the ground and handcuffed for speaking. That has never happened in American history. Kristine Ngo and her Secret Service agents protecting her who did that knew that they were in a fully secure federal building, a totally sealed federal building in a space where no unauthorized person could possibly be. They were not downstairs in the passport office where people can go to renew their passports after passing through metal detectors and showing their IDs and having an appointment that allows them to enter that building. There is no more secure building in Los Angeles than the building where Kristi Noem told the lie that someone lunged at her and she felt threatened. And so her Secret Service agents and the FBI agents supporting them had to become the very first federal agents in history to throw a United States Senator to the ground for speaking and to handcuff him for speaking. What you see on that video of what they did is a crime. It is a crime against democracy. And it fits the elements of federal and state crime on false arrest. Just because the officers involved gave up trying to execute and complete that arrest does not mean that they did not violate the law. The Federal code on unlawful detention says that it is a violation of law if an officer apprehends arrests or confines any person without legal justification. And the way to prove that legal justification is to charge the person with a crime who you've decided to handcuff and throw on the floor of a federal building. But they didn't do that because Senator Padilla committed no crime. Senator Padilla gave them no reason to legally do what they did.

[Kristi Noem]

Every single person that has been able to do this.

[Keith Ellison]

Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary because the fact of the matter is a half a dozen violent criminals. That should rip. Okay, on your.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

On your.

[Kristi Noem]

I also want to.

[Keith Ellison]

Ground.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

On the ground.

[Joe Thompson]

On the ground.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Hands behind your back. Hands behind your back.

[Alex Padilla]

My hands.

[Keith Ellison]

Go ahead, hide behind my back. All right, cool. One hand.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Lay flat. Lay flat.

[Keith Ellison]

Other hand, sir. Other hand.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

There's no recording allowed on here.

[Keith Ellison]

I do not know.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

There's no recording allowed on here, per FBI rights for the building in his first public comments after that incident, when he was leaving the federal building in the completely peaceful neighborhood of Westwood, adjacent to the UCLA campus. Senator Padilla insisted that what happened to him in that building is not about him, but should be taken as a powerful and tragic lesson.

[Keith Ellison]

I came to the press conference to hear what she had to say, to see if I could learn any new additional information. And at one point, I had a question. And let me emphasize, just as we emphasize the right for people to peacefully protest and to stand up for their First Amendment rights, for our fundamental rights. I was there peacefully. At one point, I had a question, and so I began to ask a question. I was almost immediately forcibly removed from the room. I was forced to the ground, and I was handcuffed. I was not arrested. I was not detained. I will say this. If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farmer, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country. Ornaleros, campesinos, yotros immigrantes no violentos la comidad de Los Angeles. Yotras arias de el saluda California y el pais.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Joining us now is the senior senator from California, Alex Padilla. He's the ranking member of the Rules and Administration Committee and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator, thank you very much for joining us tonight. And I wanted to get. I know you'd want to comment on what's happened over the weekend with two of your Senate colleagues from Minnesota, Senator Smith, Senator Klobuchar, whose names were on an assassination list of someone who has now been arrested.

[Keith Ellison]

No. I appreciate you having me, Lawrence. And I'm still sort of processing what happened. As I see that video over again, and, yes, that followed by the tragedy in Minnesota, my heart goes out, not just to my Senate colleagues, Senator Smith and Senator Klobuchar, but to the Hortman families and the Hoffman families for what they have endured. Sadly, it is a reminder of the tense and divisive political environment that we are living in. And there's a lot of reasons for it, but it cannot be ignored that President Trump has set a tone, not just in the last week, not just in the last couple of weeks, months, but dating back to the day he came down the escalator at Trump Tower to announce his first campaign for president. He is the commander in chief. He is the President of the United States. And if he chose to There's a lot that he could do to turn down the temperature, to de. Escalate the tensions that are there in Los Angeles and clearly in so many communities around the country.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Senator. You know, I have to say, seeing a United States senator thrown to the floor like that and handcuffed, it, certainly you don't have to be a former Senate staffer to be pained by the sight of that. But those of us who work there do have, I think, extra feelings about that site. What is it like for you? It's been a few days now. You just saw it again. I'm sorry we had to show it to you, but this is the news that we're discussing. What is it like for you to see that video and have that experience, go through it again that way?

[Keith Ellison]

Yeah, no, look, I don't mind seeing it. I'm glad there is video, because can you imagine if that would have happened and I would have come out of that building, my word against Secretary Noem, you know, and the propaganda machine that is the Trump administration. So, thankfully, there is that video. Not just for me to watch, not just for. For better and for worse, you know, my wife and kids to watch, but for the world to watch. Because as you mentioned earlier, and I keep repeating over and over again, if this is how the administration handles a senator with a question, you can only imagine not just what they're capable of, but what must be happening in all corners of the country where cameras are not on, where they are detaining so many nonviolent criminals, hardworking women and men with the audacity of them, maybe asking a question or trying to speak up for themselves or their rights. There's a reason that there's so much fear and terror in communities around the country, and that's, sadly, what the Trump administration wants. If some good comes out of this, whether it's increased awareness as to what's going on, then maybe that can be a good thing. If there's people who have been aware of the increasingly extreme and cruel actions by the Trump administration, then maybe that's a good thing. And heaven forbid, maybe the hearts and minds of some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle can be moved enough for a change in policy or even the modernization of our immigration laws, that would be a good thing. But, Lawrence, it's not just because of what happened to me that you hear the passion in my voice. It's because this is personal. As you know, my parents are immigrants to this country. My dad, for more than 40 years, worked as a short Order, cook. My mom cleaned houses. They worked hard, and they sacrificed so much so that we could live the American dream. And so if all the Trump administration was doing was targeting violent, dangerous criminals, there would be no debate, there would be no discussion. But as data now reveals, more than 90% of those that have been detained and of those deported, more than 90% do not have criminal convictions. They're going after the very same workforce that they deemed essential at the end of the first Trump term, at the outset of the pandemic.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Senator, I know you after the fact. I'm not sure exactly how this worked. You had a meeting with Kristi Noem before leaving the building. How long after that event did that happen? How was that arranged? What happened in that discussion? How long did it last? What can you tell us about that?

[Keith Ellison]

So you provided a lot of great context earlier, Lawrence, about the security of the space we were in in a federal building, where I was met at the entrance by a National Guardsman and an FBI agent. And they put me through security screening more than proper, more than appropriate. They escorted me to a conference room where I had a scheduled briefing with representatives of Northern Command. Because to deploy federal forces, Marines and federalized National Guards, women and men, to the streets of Los Angeles over the objections of the governor, the mayor, the sheriff, and the local police chief. I needed to know why. What was their mission? And what kind of training did these folks have to be able to execute that mission and probably interact with civilians. That briefing was postponed because some of the folks that were going to be in that briefing were in this press conference. And so I asked to go listen in because maybe, just maybe, I'd get information there that I haven't gotten in committee hearings, that we haven't gotten in responses to letters that we've submitted, formal inquiries of the Department of Homeland Security. Maybe, just maybe, I'd get some information. The very same escorts, the National Guardsmen and the FBI agent, are the ones that brought me into the press conference, opened the door for me, were standing by me for the several minutes that we were there listening to the nonsense. And what really compelled me to speak up, Lawrence, was not the first time, but the second time. The secretary said that their job, the reason they were there, was to liberate the people of Los Angeles from the governor and the mayor. Imagine that. Is that the job of the Marine Corps, to liberate American citizens from their duly elected representatives, their mayor and their governor? Of course not. And so I had the audacity to try to ask a question, and you know, within a split second, there was hands on me. And you've seen the rest. You've seen the video. And so even after it happened, and again, you've seen the video, when the cuffs finally came off, they asked me, would you like an audience with the secretary? If you're indeed genuine about meeting with the secretary. They were surprised I said yes after the treatment I received, but that's why I was there, to get information. They even said, and the other briefing with Northern Command, Are you still interested in that? Of course. Despite how I've been treated, I'm trying to do my job as a center to provide oversight and accountability of the administration. Surprise, surprise. It wasn't a very substantive conversation with the secretary, tried as I might, and I came away with just a promise to we'll get you the information you're asking for.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

And did she apologize, you think that.

[Keith Ellison]

Would be a good place to start? But no, no apology. I'm not taking it personal. No even acknowledgement. But again, I'm not taking that personal. I'm just trying to do my job.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Senator, I want to get your reaction to some breaking news we're getting right now from the Washington Post. This is a Trump reversal of a Trump reversal. I had reported that Donald Trump had decided to stop the raids in agricultural centers and other places where people are working. And the Washington Post is reporting tonight that officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including its Homeland Security Investigations Division, told agency leaders in a call Monday that agents must continue conducting immigration raids at agricultural businesses, hotels and restaurants. So this is a Trump reversal of a Trump reversal.

[Keith Ellison]

Yeah, a Trump reversal of a Trump. Is it chaos? Is it incompetence? Is it a combination of both? Look, what happened at the press conference was on a Thursday. I caught wind of an announcement on Friday that Donald Trump had reversed himself and said, you know what? Let's take our foot off the gas enforcement in restaurants and hotels and agricultural fields. And I thought, well, maybe this is a baby step in the right direction. And before today's reversal of the reversal that you just mentioned, there was also his statement overnight about, no, no, no, we're going to double down on enforcement in blue cities. Right. So they're saying the quiet part out loud. It is overt, an overt partisan attack that he's doing. Immigrants, sadly, hardworking immigrants are pawns in his march towards author authoritarianism. And so it makes you wonder, Lawrence, who's really in charge here? Is it Donald Trump or is it Stephen Miller?

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

It's sounding more and more like Stephen Miller, California Senator Alex Padilla, thank you very much for joining us tonight.

[Keith Ellison]

Thank you, Lawrence. Thank you.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Coming up, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joins us next.

[Maura Healey]

It's conversation. It's perspective. It's the weekend on MSNBC with three new dynamic hosts, Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels and Jackie Alemani. And in the evening, it's the weekend prime time with Eamon Mohadin, Katherine Rampel, Elise Jordan and Antonia Hilton. Join them as they offer analysis on the week's most important events and set the agenda for the week ahead. The weekend at 7am eastern and the weekend primetime at 6pm eastern. Saturdays and Sundays on MSNBC. Stay up to date on the biggest issues of the day with the MSNBC Daily Newsletter. Each morning you'll get analysis by experts you trust, video highlights from your favorite shows.

[Kristi Noem]

I do think it's worth being very clear eyed, very realistic about what's going on here.

[Maura Healey]

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[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Here is Joe Thompson, acting U.S. attorney in Minnesota this afternoon.

[Joe Thompson]

Political assassinations are rare. They strike at the very core of our democracy. But the details of Belter's crime are even worse. They are truly chilling. It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Belter stalked his victims like prey. He went to their homes, held himself out as a police officer and shot them in cold blood. Belter also had in his car notebooks containing a list of more than 45 Minnesota State and federal elected officials, including Representative Portman. Now, Belter planned his attack carefully. He researched his fam, his victims and their families. He used the Internet and other tools to find their addresses and names, the names of their family members. He conducted surveillance of their homes and took notes about the location of their homes.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

During the weekend manhunt for the suspect in this murder and attempted murder case, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah decided to blame the Democratic governor of Minnesota for the murder and attempted murder of Democratic state officials by calling it, quote, in a tweet, nightmare on Wall Street. Today, Senator Tina Smith confronted Mike Lee about his hateful stupidity.

[Kristi Noem]

I wanted him to know how much pain that caused me and the other people in my state and I think around the country who think that this was a brutal attack. I don't know whether Senator Lee thought fully through what it was. You'd have to ask him. But I needed him to hear from me Directly what impact I think his cruel statement had on me.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

His colleague, the cowardly Mr. Lee, refused to answer questions about his loathsome statements or his conversation with Senator Tina Smith. Joining us now is Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Thank you very much for joining us tonight. I see that there are state. Happy to be here. State charges filed along with the federal charges. Why is the state also filing charges?

[Alex Padilla]

Well, he violated Minnesota state statutes like murder. It is appropriate for there to be parallel charges. Those state charges are being handled by our county attorney very ably and competently. And they're appropriate. You can violate both state and federal charges laws at the same time. And when you are, when you do that, you should face justice in both of those jurisdictions. And that's what's going to happen to this man, Mr. Boltler.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

And is it likely that the federal case will go first?

[Alex Padilla]

You know, that's often a point of discussion between both the federal and the state parties. We've had cases where we went first and there have been cases where the feds have gone first. So it's just a matter of conversation. But in any case, he's gonna be held accountable for his violation and his crime against both the people of the United States and the people of the state of Minnesota, which is entirely appropriate. There are actually two separate sets of wrongs that he did, violating our state statutes against homicide, murder, first degree murder in Minnesota, you have to go to a GR jury to get a first degree murder charge. So that's why he's charged with second degree murder now. And of course, the interstate nature of using the Internet and weapons that are bought and sold over state lines, that converts this into a federal offense as well. And I'm glad that both parties, both the state and the feds, are holding him accountable.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

When in this investigation, did you discover that your name is on the assassination list?

[Alex Padilla]

I think I found that out early in the morning. I got a call from one of the folks who were investigating this thing really early Saturday morning. And I was alerted because of that fact. You know, this, this guy, I mean, he's clearly trying to scare and intimidate people. But Minnesotans are made of strong stuff and we're not scared or intimidated by the likes of this individual. But yeah, we learned it early in the morning, before 5, around 5am and mostly I was just shocked and saddened by the news that I received simultaneously about my dear friend Melissa Hortman, who I've known for two decades and I've admired every second of that time. And my good friend John Hoffman. I was glad to hear that he was hanging on, that his wife was hanging on. And. But those two people are both precious to me. They're not just colleagues. They are, they're loved ones. They're dear friends. And I'm still grieving their loss. I mean, referring to the Hortman family.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Tell us more about Melissa Hortman and what we lost when we lost her.

[Alex Padilla]

Well, I met Melissa Hortman way back before either one of us was in politics. I used to run something called the Legal Rights center, and she was a legal aid lawyer. She had a client who was a tenant who was the victim of discrimination and abuse by her landlord. Melissa was one of the lawyers who sued that landlord and got one of the biggest judgments at that time for a case like that. I think it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $400,000, which is a lot of money for a discrimination case. The client was a woman named Stormy Daniels, who both Melissa and I had at some point represented, and not Daniels, I'm sorry, Stormy Harmon. And, you know, she was a wonderful lady, and she had a great lawyer. And so I was. That's how I met Melissa Hortman. And after that, every, every time, we worked on all kinds of things, whether it is child nutrition, landlord, tenant education issues, wage theft, paid medical leave. She cared about workers, she cared about family, she cared about kids, and she dedicated herself every single day. And I'll just say John Hoffman is a champion of the people as well. He does a lot for people with mental health disability, is a real champion and devoted advocate for that community. Both are wonderful. And I just think people should know that when we lost Melissa Hortman, we lost a true giant. But I am glad to hear that John Hoffman is recovering as his wife. Is both this just a tragic moment? But we can't be deterred. We got to know that these kind of incidents are designed to instill fear. And so we've got to continue to march forward because I know that is what Melissa would want.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. I'm sorry for your loss, and thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you. Coming up today in Canada, Donald Trump humiliated himself once again, this time by signing a fake trade deal and not even knowing who the fake trade deal was supposed to be with. That's next.

[Maura Healey]

Introducing the Weeknight on msnbc, join hosts Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele and Simone Sanders Taylor for a spirited conversation challenging each other and our leaders about the biggest issues of the day.

[Kristi Noem]

It's about knowing what you are for.

[Alex Padilla]

Who you are for that's what politics is about. It's engagement. We are going to dive deeper into.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

The legal side of today's breaking news.

[Maura Healey]

The weeknight Monday through Friday at 7pm Eastern on MSNBC.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Donald Trump was in Canada today at the G7 summit where once again Donald Trump humiliated himself better than anyone else could after signing a fake so called trade deal with the United Kingdom which is not a trade deal because it is not approved by Congress. The 79 year old forgot which country he was lying about. We just signed a document. This is. Sorry about that. Very important document. Little with the idea. Give me that. And we just signed it and it's done. And so we have our trade agreement with the European Union and it's a fair deal for both. That wasn't anyone from the European Union he was with. That was the British Prime Minister who did nothing to help Donald Trump with that self humiliation and just let it sit there for all the world to see. Supposed to be signing something with the United Kingdom and he thinks it's the European Union. Democratic Governor Maura Healey of Massachusetts hosted Northeast governors and their counterparts, Canadian provincial premiers for a summit in Boston today. Joining us now is Democratic Governor Maura Healey of Massachusetts. Governor, what was accomplished at the summit? You have such interlinked trade relationships with these provinces in Canada?

[Kristi Noem]

We do. I mean for centuries. Lawrence, northeastern United States. Today we had the New England states and New York meeting with the eastern Canadian premiers in Ontario to talk about our substantial history of economic ties, cultural ties, familial ties and how what Donald Trump has done has just so disrupted that and hurt those relationships. And a few weeks ago I decided that I thought it would be important to convene the Canadian premiers and governors, invite them to Boston. We held that meeting today. It was a bipartisan meeting. We had many productive discussions about how we can affirm the relationship that we share as allies, you know, and how we can continue to work in partnership. We all had hoped very much today that there would be progress and a trade deal between the United States and Canada at the G7. That didn't happen and we can't afford to wait. So we need to look to forge our own relationships and partnerships and continue to work to ensure that we're doing all we can between and among us when it comes to tourism, trade, energy supply and so much more.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

You're not a border state like Vermont or New York with Canada. And I know Vermont gets some electricity directly from Canada. What are some of the interdependent relationships Massachusetts has with Canada.

[Kristi Noem]

Oh, man, they are for all of us. Okay? For all the states represented, Canada is the largest trading partner. I mean, some Maine and Vermont get so much, almost all of their energy from Canada. Massachusetts, 90% of the jet fuel out of Logan Airport comes from Canada. I mean, you could go right through any number of goods and services. It's just so dominates our local economies in our states. And you know, what it does for the Canadian provinces as well. And everyone is hurt. Residents, businesses on both sides of the border have been so hurt by these tariffs. I can tell you, on tourism alone, we had an interesting conversation that, you know, tourism, and we're only six months into the year, tourism is down across all of our states. From Canadian visitors between 20 and 60%. We saw flights drop dramatically between Canada and Boston last month. And so this is a serious issue, serious economic harm for Massachusetts, for all of our states, and it does for the Canadian provinces as well. And, you know, one thing was clear. This is Donald Trump's creation. He made this problem and he needs to clean up the mess. But we as allies are going to continue to find ways to work together.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, thank you very much for joining us tonight.

[Kristi Noem]

It's good to be with you, Lawrence.

[Lawrence O'Donnell]

Thank you. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey gets tonight's last word.