Condemning the Attacks on Minnesota Lawmakers in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, Minnesota, and Calling for Unity and the Rejection of Political Violence in Minnesota and Across the United States

Floor Speech

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Mr. FINSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Comer for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 519.

In the early morning hours of June 14, many of us woke up to the horrifying news of a targeted political attack that took the lives of former Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and which left State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds.

In the hours and the days following, the largest manhunt in our State's history ensued, with over 200 officers from local, State, and Federal jurisdictions working together around the clock to bring the shooter to justice.

I thank the officers who conducted this successful manhunt and ensured the safety and security of Minnesota lawmakers in the ensuing hours.

I also express my personal gratitude to members of the New Ulm Police Department, the Brown County Sheriff's Office, and Sheriff Jason Seidl. They worked to ensure the safety of my family and me in the hours following the attack.

I had the honor of serving with Speaker Emerita Hortman for 4 years during my time in the Minnesota Legislature. I will forever cherish the conversations and friendship that I had with her then and throughout the 20 years since.

When I look at my time serving alongside her, Melissa embodied the spirit of the hardworking people of Minnesota. She came from a blue- collar upbringing and had a work ethic that drove her to always seek out solutions rather than seeking out a spotlight for a political win.

Melissa was a principled public servant who led by example. When tough decisions had to be made, she put her politics aside and got the job done for Minnesotans.

As a lawmaker, Melissa brought her roll-up-the-sleeves, problem- solving approach to almost every issue. Along with it, she touched all of us with the witty humor that many of us will remember her for, including myself.

Melissa was a very special person, and I can say without hesitation that our State was better served due to her leadership. The halls of the Minnesota State Capitol will be a lot less bright without her.

Words cannot express the emotions that all of us across Minnesota have experienced in the wake of this tragic event: devastation, fear, grief, and outrage.

Whether we agree or disagree on policy issues, politically targeted violence like this must never be tolerated.

My wife, Jackie, and I teach our kids that it is possible to respectfully disagree with others. We have to do the same as a society. We have to lead by example and put civility back into today's political discourse.

Political disagreement is healthy. It is what our system of government was founded upon. We have our fair share of that political disagreement in Minnesota, and we even have it here in the House Chamber.

I was proud to join every Member of the Minnesota delegation on both sides of the aisle to call out this act of hatred, and we will continue to do so together.

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Mr. FINSTAD. Mr. Speaker, over the past week, I have been reminding myself that hope, faith, and resilience are the enemy of evil. I remind my fellow Minnesotans--not just the Republicans and not just the Democrats but my fellow Minnesotans--that hope, faith, and resilience are the enemy of evil. While one person's evil acts shook us to our core, it is up to each and every one of us to be the good.

I hope that all of us take time to lean on each other and find opportunities to be more loving family members, kinder friends, and better neighbors because that is the good that overcomes evil.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Hortman and Hoffman families during this time of tragedy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

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