Sen. Klobuchar urges peers to mitigate ‘inflamed’ rhetoric after Minnesota shootings

Transcript:

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

And Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota was with Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband the night before they were killed. They were all at a dinner together. And Senator Klobuchar is with us now. Good morning, Senator. We are so very sorry for your loss.

AMY KLOBUCHAR: Well, thank you, Michel. And our state mourns this incredible woman, who – I just wish all your listeners would have known her. She was such a strong Speaker. Even some of the Republican legislators have called her one of the most consequential speakers in Minnesota history. She ushered through, with the governor, free school lunch and expansive paid family leave and then was able to negotiate, in a tied statehouse, a budget this year. And mostly, she was just a delightful person. I got to know her. We were both moms in politics and campaigning door to door with little kids. And I just saw her grow and come into this incredible power that she had and that she used so well for the good of our state and the country. And we’re going to miss her and her husband, Mark.

MARTIN: So thanks so much for sharing those memories. I was going to ask you what your memories of her were, so thank you for that. You know, investigators are calling this a targeted killing. They say the suspect had a hit list, or several. What are you hearing about the motive, and do you think that there’s an ongoing threat to you and other officials in Minnesota?

KLOBUCHAR: First of all, I thank Senator Thune and Schumer – have upped our security here, as well as others in the state. This is an ongoing threat to elected officials overall, not this particular man. We thank law enforcement for this incredible work, as you just heard from your reporter, biggest manhunt in the history of Minnesota – citizens – over 400 tips called in, including one that was critical to finding him, and citizens doing their jobs as well. One of the things that came out yesterday is there actually were multiple lists. It wasn’t just one list. There’s been a focus on one list.

We learned from federal law enforcement, for instance, that I was on another list with lawmakers whose names haven’t made public. So there were – he seemed to – I know MPR, NPR have not been calling this a manifesto, probably for good reason. It was a collection of documents which contained multiple lists and other things about issues. We also know abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, were on the list. So the ongoing threat is, first of all, they’ve got to finish their investigation, get the charges done, do everything right so this man never gets out again.

Secondly, we in Washington, throughout our country – you know, people have to look at the mirror who are engaging in this rhetoric that has inflamed already difficult time in our country, that are posting things on social media that people actually start believing and then acting out on it. And so I just think there’s – my hope it’s in Melissa’s memory and her incredible work that people are going to reassess how they act in politics and how they treat each other.

MARTIN: Do you see any evidence of that, I mean, even among some of your colleagues, who have been, you know, making certain claims about the person’s motives, that – for which there’s no evidence?

KLOBUCHAR: Yeah, totally.

MARTIN: I mean, do you see any evidence of that, that people are willing to reconsider the way they conduct their, you know, public speech, in the way they conduct themselves in public life?

KLOBUCHAR: Well, when I get back, I’m going to talk to those colleagues. I can tell you that much. But the – in Minnesota, we did do a joint – every single – from Tom Emmer, myself, on, we did a joint statement – every member of our delegation, from the most conservative to liberal – that said we speak with one voice and condemn this politically motivated violence. And I think that has to continue, as well as looking at security for members. There’s been an increase from 2016 of 1,700 threats against members to last year, Michel, over 9,000 threats against members, and we’re seeing the same thing in the judiciary.

MARTIN: So, you know, you also lived through the January 6 attack on the Capitol. So – and you’ve been in public life for decades. And I just – forgive me for asking, but I – it does make me wonder whether this causes you to rethink anything of your – about your desire to stay in this.

KLOBUCHAR: Not one bit. I just believe – when I talked to people during these last few days in my state, in Melissa’s memory, I hope that it doesn’t cause people not to run because we need people in office like her. We need people who are willing to get things done, willing to take tough votes and make decisions that are best for this country and willing to actually bring down the rhetoric. And I’ve made my life’s work of trying to work across the aisle, trying to find common ground, of course, standing my ground, calling people out. But that’s been a big part of what I’ve tried to do, and I’m going to double down on it even more. But finding people who are willing to run is so important. Yes, we need more security, and that’s got to be a priority. But a lot of this is making sure that people who cherish our democracy actually stand up for our democracy and run for office.

MARTIN: That is Senator Amy Klobuchar. She’s a Democrat from Minnesota. Senator Klobuchar, once again, our condolences, and we thank you so much for talking with us at such a difficult time.

KLOBUCHAR: Thank you so much, Michel.