Fact Check: Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson stated that Vance Boelter's actions constituted a political assassination during a press conference on June 16, 2025.

Fact Check: Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson stated that Vance Boelter's actions constituted a political assassination during a press conference on June 16, 2025.

Published June 16, 2025
VERDICT
True

# Fact Check: "Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson stated that Vance Boelter's actions constituted a political assassination during a press confer...

Fact Check: "Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson stated that Vance Boelter's actions constituted a political assassination during a press conference on June 16, 2025."

What We Know

On June 16, 2025, Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson held a press conference where he addressed the violent actions of Vance Boelter, who was charged with the murders of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as the shooting of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. During this conference, Thompson explicitly referred to Boelter's actions as "targeted political assassinations" and emphasized the unprecedented nature of such violence against elected officials in Minnesota (source-1, source-2).

The context of the press conference was the aftermath of a two-day manhunt for Boelter, who had executed a calculated plan to attack public officials, which included impersonating a police officer to gain access to the victims (source-1). The shootings were described as a direct attack on democracy, highlighting the serious implications of such acts of violence (source-1, source-3).

Analysis

The claim that Joseph H. Thompson described Boelter's actions as a political assassination is supported by multiple credible sources. During the press conference, Thompson's use of the term "political assassination" was significant, as it underscores the severity and intent behind Boelter's actions. This characterization aligns with the broader narrative of the event, which was marked by a calculated attack on elected officials, indicating a motive rooted in political violence (source-2, source-4).

The sources reporting on this event, including the U.S. Department of Justice and major news outlets such as The New York Times and the Associated Press, are reputable and provide detailed accounts of the press conference and the charges against Boelter. Their coverage reflects a consensus on the characterization of the events as politically motivated violence (source-1, source-3).

Conclusion

The claim that Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson stated that Vance Boelter's actions constituted a political assassination is True. The evidence from multiple credible sources confirms that Thompson explicitly used this terminology during a press conference on June 16, 2025, to describe the violent attacks on elected officials in Minnesota.

Sources

  1. District of Minnesota - United States Department of Justice
  2. Live Updates: Man Charged in Minnesota Assassination Could Face Federal ...
  3. Prosecutor says suspect in Minnesota lawmakers shooting ...
  4. Live Updates: Minnesota Suspect Also Went to Homes of 2 ...
  5. 2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators - Wikipedia
  6. Vance Boelter went to other lawmakers' homes the night he killed Rep ...
  7. What we know about the Minnesota shootings and suspect
  8. Minnesota shootings suspect faces 6 federal charges and ...

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And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. 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And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. 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