Violent threats targeting Minnesota leaders on the rise

Violent threats against Minnesota's political leaders are growing in frequency and intensity, a trend that started long before last week's storming of the U.S. Capitol cheered on by a crowd in St. Paul.

The rise came as lawmakers grappled with responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last summer. In the backdrop were a pandemic and officials administering an election shrouded by unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud.

"Those of us who have been doing nothing but trying to protect people from COVID's spread and conduct fair elections, having to put up with this level of threat is just ridiculous to me," said Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose role includes enforcing the state's COVID-19 restrictions.

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