A Minnesota state Senate Joint Committee roundly criticized Governor Tim Walz’s (D) mishandling of the 2020 riots that largely took place in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

For example, while the Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced that 604 people had been arrested from May 25 to June 2, the Joint Committee found that:

“Governor Walz and his administration also chose to only arrest and prosecute 2% of those caught rioting. Many other rioters were never caught due to the inadequate amount of law enforcement present throughout the destruction.” (p. 40) … “Police officers stated it was the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety who gave the orders to release rather than arrest rioters.” (p. 36)

It was during this riot time period on May 31 that Kamala Harris made her pitch to send donations to pay for bail for whatever rioters and arsonists that actually were arrested by Walz or local police.

The state Senate 55-page report with 351 footnotes also noted:

“After George Floyd’s death, Minnesota experienced an unprecedented series of riots (primarily in the Twin Cities area) that included arson, vandalism, looting, homicides, and assaults … Lives were lost, over 1,500 businesses and buildings were burned, approximately $500 million in property damage occurred, and community morale was deeply affected. … If Governor Walz had acted in a decisive manner by activating the Minnesota National Guard when requested, the riots would have been brought under control much faster.” (pp.1, 1, 41)

Walz administration officials participated in four public hearings in July 2020. Witnesses included the Minnesota State Patrol, the Commissioner of Public Safety, Adjutant General of Minnesota’s National Guard, the Minnesota Transportation Commissioner, and the Minneapolis Police Department. The nearly 100-year-old Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association with 10,000+ members endorsed the Senate report released on October 22, 2020:

“Public safety officials appreciate the Senators who participated in today’s hearing who prioritize the safety and security of Minnesotans. This report and discussion on how not to repeat the unprecedented violence and rioting that occurred in the Twin Cities this summer, is essential.”

No Democrat Farm Labor (DFL) senator attended the July, 2020 hearings or the October 22 public presentation. Instead, DFL Senator Scott Dibble rejected the report:

“We have to acknowledge and address issues of racial injustice.  … We fully reject the partisan report presented by Senate Republicans and its conclusions …”

Despite the DFL comment about race, Republican senators unanimously agreed:

“To prevent riots before they ignite, the State of Minnesota and the entire country would benefit from a frank and open conversation about social injustice. Such a conversation is imperative … to the process of rebuilding trust … where all communities regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or cultural background can feel confident they are being treated fairly and equally by society.” (p. 44)

In May 2020, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported, “Asked by reporters if he bore responsibility in the broader outcome of the protests, Walz said: ‘If the issue was that the state should have moved faster, that is on me.’”

Walz also had to apologize to CNN president Jeff Zucker for allowing the arrest and detention of a CNN crew trying to cover the protests on Lake Street in Minneapolis.

At the Democratic National Convention, Walz said, “Leaders don’t spend all day insulting people and blaming people.”

The Minnesota Joint Committee Report found that Walz blamed others:

“Governor Walz … attempted to deflect blame … he made statements that were later directly contradicted by police officer testimony. …” (p. 42)

“While Governor Walz placed blame on the mayors for the Tuesday through Thursday riots, Mayor Frey’s request for the Minnesota National Guard was ignored for over 18 hours.” (p. 34)

“Fox 9 reporter Theo Keith stated, ‘The blame game has begun in earnest. Walz is … pointing the finger at Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Saint Paul Mayor … Melvin Carter.’” (p. 33)

“…Governor Walz blamed the mayors and said it was their decisions to not have the Minnesota National Guard out.” (p. 24)

“Governor Walz commented that state assets should have been sent in sooner. The reason he did not send them in was because he thought the cities, not the state, needed to keep the peace.” (p. 34)

“A reporter asked Governor Walz why he waited until 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 28 to make any decisions and come up with any solutions instead of doing something in the afternoon when the uncontrollable looting started? Governor Walz’s response was it is the mayors and local police forces who were the leaders of the communities, not he.” (p. 34)

The Minnesota Joint Committee found that Walz hesitated to protect residents:

“Governor Walz … hesitated to use the Minnesota National Guard. This hesitation cost Minnesotans their lives, communities, and livelihoods.” (p. 27)

“Mayor Frey said, ‘Walz hesitated to send in the National Guard to quell the growing violence and [Frey] blames him [Walz] for allowing the city to burn.’” (p. 34)

“When Mayor Frey pleaded for Minnesota National Guard assistance from Governor Walz, ‘He did not say yes.’ Mayor Frey said of Governor Walz, ‘He said he would consider it.’ (p. 24)

“In texts between city staff regarding the governor calling in the Minnesota National Guard, city staff stated, ‘Walz was hesitating.’” (p. 24)

At the Democratic National Convention, Walz said that “Leaders do the work.”

The Minnesota Joint Committee Report found otherwise:

“Our highly trained Minnesota National Guard and local police officers understood how to protect Minnesota from riots, but Governor Walz and Mayor Frey got in their way.” (p. 27)

“When discussing the breakdown between Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, Star Tribune reporter Patricia Lopez stated, ‘It seems that they need to be figuring that out together instead of playing … a game of hot potato.’” (p. 33)

At the Democratic National Convention, Walz said, “[M]y students … saw in me … a commitment to the common good.”

The Minnesota Senate Joint Committee found:

“Failure to Lead: Executive leadership at the state and local level failed to distinguish between demonstrators and rioters … leaders failed to provide the guidance Minnesotans expect from their offices.” (p. 1)

“Philosophical Conflict Caused a Hesitation to Confront Ideological Allies: Governor Walz and elected local leaders identified with the causes promoted by the demonstrators, causing them to lose sight of their responsibility to protect the public from criminal acts committed during the riots.” (p. 1)

At the Democratic National Convention, Walz stated: “In Congress … I learned how to work across the aisle … how to compromise.”

The Minnesota Senate Joint Committee found:

“Governor Walz’s office chose to send an email update only to Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) caucus members of the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Senate.” (p. 16)

“While the riots occurred, Governor Walz’s office was solely working with the DFL Minnesota House of Representatives rather than both legislative bodies and both political parties on criminal justice legislation.” (p. 16)

“Governor Walz only worked with the DFL during and in the immediate aftermath of the riots.” (p. 18)

At the Democratic National Convention, Walz stated: “[S]erving in the Army National Guard, … I proudly wore our country’s uniform for 24 years.”

The Minnesota Senate Joint Committee stated:

“Governor Walz Failed to Command the Minnesota National Guard: Governor Walz stated the media and citizens of Minnesota expected him to be there to protect Minnesotans but that he was just ‘supposed to be there in a support role, as state law shows.’ There is no state law nor does the Minnesota Constitution require the governor to be relegated to a support role in such a situation.” (p. 34)

“Only Governor Walz had the legal authority to mobilize the Minnesota National Guard … Governor Walz chose not to fully mobilize the Minnesota National Guard while rioting overtook the state on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Governor Walz had the ability to call the Minnesota National Guard into the cities without the mayors’ requests, but he decided against it.” (p. 35)

“Our highly trained Minnesota National Guard and local police officers understood how to protect Minnesota from riots, but Governor Walz and Mayor Frey got in their way.” (p. 27)

At the Democratic National Convention, Walz stated: “I came back home to serve as governor … We invested in fighting crime …”

The Minnesota Senate Joint Committee found:

“Refusal to Confront Criminal Violence with Force: Governor Walz and Mayor Frey initially chose to negotiate with and appease the rioters rather than give law enforcement the authority to confront criminal acts with enough force to restore law and order. … Inaction on the part of state and local officials led to an increase in violence.” (p. 5)

“Police officers stated it was the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety who gave the orders to release rather than arrest rioters.” (p. 36)

“Walz … chose to only arrest and prosecute 2% of those caught rioting. Many other rioters were never caught due to the inadequate amount of law enforcement present throughout the destruction. Governor Walz, his administration, and county and city attorneys made the conscious decision not to give consequences to criminals engaged in the riots.” (p. 40)

“Due to the Minneapolis City Council’s lack of funding for police and the failure of Mayor Frey and Governor Walz to provide the resources and personnel needed … police were … unable to respond effectively to the lawlessness. … This forced citizens to protect themselves as the city and governor were not protecting them.” (p. 18)

“Governor Walz assumed the rioting would not be as bad as it was or continue as long as it did. … His incorrect assumptions directly led to escalating violence over a five-day period.” (p. 22)

“If they would have arrested the rioters on that first day, then they could have prevented most of the damage … because the rioters would not have felt emboldened to cause destruction. … The plan was to engage rioters trying to damage the State Capitol building with verbal de-escalation techniques.” (p. 36)

“Governor Walz and his administration were more concerned with the “current environment,” … ‘community and cultural concerns,” and “diversity and inclusion training” than they were about stopping the riots that were destroying Minnesota.” (p. 27)

“Governor Walz allowed his adult daughter to access confidential information that she then disseminated to the general public and rioters. This unnecessarily put police, Minnesota State Troopers, and the Minnesota National Guard in jeopardy.” (p. 22)

On May 28, the Third Police Precinct headquarters was burnt to the ground, the same evening alerts were sent out by Hope on Twitter, the governor’s daughter, to assure protesters that the National Guard would not be deployed.

“could someone who actually has followers rely to the masses that have gotten ‘national guard’ trending that the guard WILL NOT be present tonight?? there is a lot of misinformation that is further spreading fear and chaos at the scene of the protests.” (p. 20)

“the guard can not be sent in within minutes. it takes time for them to deploy because they come from all over the state. to be clear, the national guard will not be present tonight.” (p. 20)

“just because someone asked for something doesn’t mean it’s happening right away or even happening at all. i don’t know about swat but what i do know is the guard will not be present arresting people tonight.” (p. 20)

What assurance do we have that Tim Walz would act differently if he were elected vice president? Readers can verify for themselves the findings of the Joint Senate Committees here. Backup material is available from the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library here.

Bob Marshall served 26 years in the Virginia House of Delegates and was the chief House sponsor of the 2006 voter-approved Virginia Marriage Amendment and a ban on late term abortion. He authored 60+ laws and studies, and was Chairman of the General Assembly Stem Cell Study.