Tell the Senate: Censure Mike Lee

After Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were murdered—and State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot— U.S. Senator Mike Lee mocked their suffering online.

He didn’t offer condolences. He didn’t denounce the violence. Instead, he blamed “Marxists” and targeted Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. His own GOP colleague, Senator Kevin Cramer, called his post “cruel” and “beneath any United States Senator,” and Senator Tina Smith confronted Lee in person in the Senate chamber, calling his jokes “beyond the pale.”

Now it’s time for the Senate to hold Lee accountable. Tell the Senate: “Censure Mike Lee now.” 

When a U.S. Senator treats political assassination like a punchline, it fuels extremism and normalizes violence. Leaders must uphold basic human decency—not mock murder.

The Senate has a tool to respond: censure. It’s a formal rebuke that says: this is unacceptable.

By censuring Mike Lee, the Senate can send a signal: mocking assassination is disqualifying. Silence would be a signal, too.

We must act before cruelty becomes the norm. Join us in demanding the Senate censure Mike Lee and set a higher standard for dignity in the Capitol.