AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

We turn now to Minnesota, where federal and state officials have announced murder and stalking charges against Vance Boelter, the suspect accused of assassinating Democratic state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home, as well as for shooting state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Joseph Thompson is acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota.

JOSEPH THOMPSON: Political assassinations are rare. They strike at the very core of our democracy. But the details of Boelter’s crime are even worse. They are truly chilling. It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Boelter stalked his victims like prey. He went to their homes, held himself out as a police officer and shot them in cold blood.

AMY GOODMAN: Authorities say Boelter first shot the Hoffmans multiple times, then went to two other lawmakers’ homes — one wasn’t home — before he then killed the House speaker emerita and her husband. They also discovered a hit list that included Planned Parenthood centers and the names of many Democratic politicians, including Minnesota Senator Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

A vigil was held Monday in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, to honor the victims. After the shootings, many recommended the Minneapolis No Kings rally Saturday be canceled, since No Kings signs were found in the suspect’s car, and people were concerned that since he was still on the loose on Saturday, he could attack the protest. But thousands gathered anyway on the state Capitol steps, including one of the Democratic officials on the hit list, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: She was a powerful political leader and a good person because she understood some basic things about life in our society. She understood that everyone is entitled to due process. … She understood that kids learn better on a full stomach, so she fought for universal school meals.

AMY GOODMAN: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joins us now for more.

Attorney General, our deepest condolences to you, to Minnesota. So many across the political spectrum loved the state House speaker emerita, Melissa Hortman, and her husband. If you can talk about who she was and also the charges that have been brought against the alleged assassin?

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Well, I met her before either one of us were in politics. Melissa Hortman was a Legal Aid lawyer. When I met her, she was representing a tenant, an African American woman, mother of three, who had been the target of discrimination and abuse by her landlord. It was alleged that the landlord would say things like, “Hey, girls don’t have to pay rent if they’re nice.” And this particular tenant was very lucky to have Melissa Hortman as her lawyer, who fought and won a very large judgment against this landlord. I actually represented that same client in another matter, and so Melissa and I got to know each other.

I went to the state Legislature. She went. And we got to be really good friends. And she was always on the right side of the issues, had a strong moral compass, but was always pragmatic and willing to reach across the aisle and try to come up with some solutions that work for everyone. And she rose to the level of speaker. I went on to the U.S. Congress, as you know, Amy. And I got to admit, I tried to convince her to run in the 3rd Congressional District, but she said, “No, I’m here in Minnesota. I’m going to stay here in Minnesota and serve the state of Minnesota. I don’t have any aspirations for Washington.”

And she did a wonderful job. She helped lead on the issue of the child tax credit, universal school meals, driver’s license for everybody, paid sick and family leave in the state of Minnesota, and also expansions in healthcare, prescription drug pricing. She just was dedicated to trying to make people’s lives easier, and she was pretty effective at it. She also knew that sometimes she had to take the hard vote, and she did, because she knew she had to land that budget negotiation. But right up until we lost her, she was fiercely fighting for people, always polite, always kind. And by the way, she was really funny, and she had a smile that would light up any room. But she had a great sense of humor, was sort of a joker and could lighten the mood with her sense of humor. I just am really going to miss her, and I know everybody will here. We loved her. She was the best.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, Attorney General, could you talk to us about this climate of political violence, not only in your state, but that has been spreading the past few years across the country, and what can be done to change that?

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Well, Juan, you and I and Amy all will remember what happened to Paul Pelosi, a horrific attack on him and Nancy Pelosi’s home. We’ll remember as far back as even the Murrah Building bombing in 1995. We will remember — and these are domestic attacks.

And then, I mean, to add to it, just the rhetoric of the president is very violent, and it opens the door for the jostling and throwing around of Senator Padilla, not to mention the threats against Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass, not to mention the unlawful arrest of Mayor Baraka, the trumped — what I believe are trumped-up charges against Congresswoman McIver. And it just sort of creates this ugly environment.

When he says, “In the old days, we used to, you know, beat them,” and all this kind of stuff, “I’ll pay for anybody’s lawyer who attacks somebody,” this is unprecedented for any president. In the past, presidents used to try to calm people on both sides of the aisle. They never would inflame the bad impulses of people. Not this president. He’s all for it. And he’s been the target of some of this political violence, and he also has fed the political violence, and we see it, you know —

AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, you mentioned —

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: You know —

AMY GOODMAN: You mentioned Paul Pelosi being hit over the head with a hammer, and Donald Trump Jr. —

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Right.

AMY GOODMAN: — was mocking him at the time, mocking him — 

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Right.

AMY GOODMAN: — for that attack. You now have the Democratic Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota confronting her colleague, Republican Senator Mike Lee, over his post on social media about — 

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Right.

AMY GOODMAN: — the Minnesota shootings, in which he wrote, quote, “This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way,” next to a picture of the alleged gunman shooter. If you can respond to this, and then just very quickly tell us about the state and federal charges that have been brought against Vance Boelter?

ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON: Well, Senator Lee owes America an apology. I hope that he has the courage to admit that he was very wrong. Tina Smith was absolutely right to confront him, and I’m proud of her for that.

And let me just say the charges, both state and federal, are appropriate. He violated state laws. He violated federal laws. The state laws are murder, and the grand jury will be reviewing first-degree murder charges against this individual. And the federal charges, because the crime employed the use of interstate wire and internet and other things, it’s appropriate federal charges, as well. And he’s going to be charged in both. Which ones will go first? Which trial will proceed first? I don’t know. That’s probably in a negotiation between state and federal authorities. Both are very well represented. That’s actually not going to be my case, unless something changes. The state will be represented by Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which is very able to do a good job in this matter. And so, investigators are gathering evidence. We urge people, if you know something about this case, please come forward and share it.

We must stop political violence. We can argue about our political differences, but in this country, we’re supposed to settle political differences at the ballot box, in a courtroom or in peaceful protest, but never with murderous violence like this. It’s completely unacceptable. And I would ask the president to stop his violent rhetoric and call Americans to the better place, without changing any of his political views. We just need him to call us to a more peaceful disposition of our conflicts, which are legitimate differences of point of view.

AMY GOODMAN: Keith Ellison, I want to thank you for being with us, Minnesota attorney general.

Up next, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister joins us to talk about the travel ban, the reported U.S. plans to send thousands more immigrants to Guantánamo and the U.S. embargo against Cuba. Back in 20 seconds.

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AMY GOODMAN: Cuban musician Silvio Rodríguez performing at Central Park here in New York at Summer Stage in 2017.