Imagine a state Capitol left vulnerable, its safety protocols gathering dust while tragedy strikes. That's the grim picture emerging in Minnesota, where Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is under fire for neglecting mandatory security meetings before the shocking assassination of state House Speaker Melissa Hortman on June 14, as the New York Post reports.
The crux of the story is Flanagan's failure to convene the required quarterly sessions of the Minnesota Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, a lapse now tied to heightened concerns over lawmaker safety after Hortman's murder and other violent incidents.
Over the past five years, from 2019 to 2024, Flanagan chaired just 13 meetings of this critical advisory panel, despite state law demanding at least 24 quarterly gatherings during that span.
Adding to the frustration, detailed records for meetings before 2023 are nowhere to be found online, and only two sets of minutes -- one each from 2023 and 2024 -- are publicly accessible.
Reports from the committee have also been tardy, with only one hitting the January 15 deadline, as noted by local outlet KTTC.
Even the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, another group Flanagan leads, has missed its mark, holding just 15 of the required 24 meetings since she took office in January 2019.
The consequences of such oversight became heartbreakingly clear on June 14, when Speaker Hortman and her husband were fatally shot at their Brooklyn Park home, allegedly by Vance Boelter, a 57-year-old suspect.
Hours before, Boelter is accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife at their Champlin residence, firing 17 shots while disguised as a police officer, though both miraculously survived.
A chilling letter found in an SUV reportedly claimed Boelter acted under secret military training and orders from Gov. Tim Walz to target Hortman and even U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a claim that raises more questions than answers.
Security concerns don't end there. In July, a bizarre incident saw Dominic Terell Peace, a 36-year-old mentally ill man, wander naked into the state Capitol in St. Paul and fall asleep in the Senate president's chair.
Peace, charged with burglary and wanted in Wisconsin for probation violations, underscored just how porous Capitol security remains, even as critics point fingers at Flanagan's leadership.
“The Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security is designed to ensure that legislators, visitors, and staff at the Capitol are kept as safe as possible, but we can’t fulfill that duty if the chair refuses to actually call meetings as required by law,” said Minnesota House GOP Whip Jim Nash, cutting straight to the heart of conservative frustration with progressive priorities.
Nash’s critique stings, especially when safety should trump any political agenda, yet Flanagan's track record suggests a troubling disregard for these basic responsibilities.
“We take this very seriously, and that’s how we’re going to move forward,” Flanagan responded, though her promise of more frequent meetings feels like locking the barn door after the horse has bolted.
While five meetings have been held this year, with four since August, the Department of Public Safety has tightened Capitol access and boosted security measures. Many wonder if these steps are too little, too late for a state still reeling from violence against its leaders.
