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Walz's handling of unrest after George Floyd's death coming under renewed scrutiny

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Walz's handling of unrest after George Floyd's death coming under renewed scrutiny

In May 2020, as Minneapolis burned and grieved after the police murder of George Floyd, Tim Walz seemed backed into a corner.

The Minnesota governor was facing a barrage of criticism for not moving faster to restore order after the torching of a police station and numerous businesses. When Walz mobilized the state National Guard three days after Floyd’s death, the move garnered praise from the most unlikely of supporters: then-President Trump.

In a call with Walz and other leaders about a week after Floyd’s death, Trump remarked that “what they did in Minneapolis was incredible.”

“They went in and dominated, and it happened immediately,” Trump said, according to an audio recording of the call obtained by ABC News and other outlets.

Those comments and Walz’s decision-making in the immediate aftermath of Floyd’s death have taken on new significance in recent days, since Vice President Kamala Harris named Walz as her running mate.

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After a whirlwind week on the campaign trail with Harris, the until recently little-known Midwestern governor kicked off his first solo campaign stop as a vice presidential candidate with a speech at a labor convention in Los Angeles this week.

Walz was less than two years into his governorship and still grappling with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic when Floyd was killed. His death on May 25, 2020, was captured on a bystander’s livestream, which showed him writhing and pleading for air as a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9½ minutes. The incident forced a reckoning with police brutality and racism, with mass protests spreading around the world. Some turned violent.

“That is a delicate balance that I think he has managed: where he has supported the police and … supported community members simultaneously, and many state officials are not able to do that,” said Duchess Harris, a professor of American studies at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., whose research centers on race, law, politics and gender studies.

Among Democrats, Walz’s backers have highlighted the chaotic weeks that followed Floyd’s death to help show his willingness to set aside party differences to work toward a common goal, a trait that dates back to his days in Congress.

Republicans, meanwhile, have argued Walz’s actions showed he was a feckless leader who stood by, waiting to be summoned, while arson and vandalism spread through his state’s largest city.

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But as president, Trump struck a decidedly different tone on a call with Walz and administration officials on June 1, 2020 — a week after Floyd’s death.

“Tim, you called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast, it was like bowling pins,” he said. Trump said he had been planning to send in federal troops “to get the job done right,” and singled out the city’s mayor, Jacob Frey, saying he’d shown a “total lack of leadership.” But he didn’t criticize Walz at the time.

In the call, Trump described Walz as “an excellent guy,” and later told him: “I don’t blame you. I blame the mayor.”

But that was then. Walz’s Republican vice presidential counterpart, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, is now publicly accusing Walz of letting “rioters burn down Minneapolis.” The sometimes misleading or false claims are being echoed in Republican attack ads and on social media.

On the social media platform X, the official account for the Trump campaign, Team Trump, posted: “Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in 2020 and the few that got caught, Kamala bailed them out of jail” — in reference to Harris’ spoken support for a bail fund that was set up to help people who were arrested while protesting.

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In the days after Floyd’s death, Walz called the city’s response an “abject failure,” setting off a frenzy of finger-pointing with Frey over who was to blame.

A series of follow-up reports pointed to significant breakdowns in communication and coordination that had led to a disjointed response from numerous law enforcement agencies.

A report commissioned by the city of Minneapolis suggested that local leaders’ unfamiliarity with the protocols for requesting National Guard assistance had “caused a delay in the approval and deployment of resources.”

A separate report by the state Senate — controlled by Republicans at the time — brought a more scathing critique, accusing both Walz and Frey of “failing to realize the seriousness of the riots” that caused roughly $500million in property damage, and of not acting “in a timely manner to confront rioters with necessary force due to an ill-conceived philosophical belief that such an action would exacerbate the rioting.”

Had Walz acted more decisively, the report’s authors said, “the riots would have been brought under control much faster.”

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Walz’s backers have dismissed such criticism as an attempt to rewrite history.

The current president of the Democratic-controlled state Senate, Bobby Joe Champion, said Walz had “worked with a cross-section of people” to coordinate a response to the unprecedented mass demonstrations that rocked Minneapolis after Floyd’s death. Despite the criticism leveled at the governor, he did a “great job” balancing the right to free speech with the need for safety and order, Champion said.

“Hindsight being 20-20, there are those who are going to say what they coulda, woulda, shoulda done,” said Champion, who under the state constitution will become lieutenant governor if Harris and Walz win in November.

Any skeptics of Walz’s record need look only to the raft of “recent legislative victories” aimed at addressing “historic racial inequities” that will have a downstream impact on crime rates, Champion said.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, attend a memorial service for George Floyd in June 2020.

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(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)

Walz’s political record is that of “a centrist Democrat who happened to be in control of a state where the Democrats had moved to the left,” said Michelle Phelps, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota.

Walz has won respect from some in his party for his part in passing progressive legislation to expand free school lunches and protect transgender and abortion rights, she said, but has failed to push through any bills that “substantially challenged police powers in Minnesota.”

He also pushed for hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding for more police when violent crime surged after Floyd’s murder.

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“If you look at him more holistically, what you get is this more centrist Democrat who is trying to thread this classic needle of how [to] rein in illegitimate police violence, while also promising a sense of security to the state’s residents,” said Phelps, who has written a book on police reform in Minneapolis. “And what that means is empowering police while also trying to make some tweaks along the edges.”

And just as Harris has had to answer for her past as a prosecutor in California, Walz’s record on criminal justice will probably come under intense scrutiny. In recent days, some have seized on the several times Walz intervened in high-profile criminal cases.

After Floyd’s death, the governor made the unusual move of reassigning the prosecution of the fired Minneapolis police officer who killed him to the state attorney general, Keith Ellison. More recently, he publicly questioned the top prosecutor in the county where Minneapolis is located over her handling of several cases, including one in which she charged a state trooper with the murder of a Black motorist.

The prosecutor, Mary Moriarty, later dropped murder and manslaughter charges against the trooper amid mounting pressure from law enforcement groups, and accused Walz of treating her differently than her male predecessor because she’s a queer woman.

Toussaint Morrison, a filmmaker and musician, said that although Walz faced a difficult challenge in responding to the unrest, his decision to deploy the National Guard escalated an already tense situation as numerous troops used force against protesters. The following year, Walz again used the Guard to respond to protests over the killing of a Black motorist in a Minneapolis suburb.

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“What I saw is someone who targeted, brutalized and attempted to intimidate protesters. I understand people want public safety — they want to feel safe. On the other hand, people want to be able to access their 1st Amendment rights,” said Morrison, a longtime organizer in the Twin Cities who has supported families affected by police brutality. “And I’m saying this as someone who will likely vote for Harris-Walz.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A man in front of the American flag.

Walz speaks at a May 29, 2020, news conference about the unrest in the Twin Cities.

(Glen Stubbe / Associated Press)

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Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

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Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

new video loaded: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

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Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows

Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.

“I’ve decided to step out of this race, and I’ll let others worry about the election while I focus on the work that’s in front of me for the next year.” “All right, so this is Quality Learing Center — meant to say Quality ‘Learning’ Center.” “Right now we have around 56 kids enrolled. If the children are not here, we mark absence.”

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Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.

By Shawn Paik

January 6, 2026

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Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu

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Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu

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A San Francisco Democrat demanded the impeachment of President Donald Trump, accusing him of carrying out a “coup” against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.

California state Sen. Scott Wiener, seen as the likely congressional successor to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, also took a swipe at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Wiener has frequently drawn national attention for his progressive positions, including his legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom designating California as a “refuge” for transgender children and remarks at a San Francisco Pride Month event referring to California children as “our kids.”

In a lengthy public statement following the Trump administration’s arrest and extradition of Maduro to New York, Wiener said the move shows the president only cares about “enriching his public donors” and “cares nothing for the human or economic cost of conquering another country.”

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KAMALA HARRIS BLASTS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO AS ‘UNLAWFUL AND UNWISE’

California State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, speaks at a rally. (John Sciulli/Getty Images)

“This lawless coup is an invitation for China to invade Taiwan, for Russia to escalate its conquest in Ukraine, and for Netanyahu to expand the destruction of Gaza and annex the West Bank,” said Wiener, who originally hails from South Jersey.

He suggested that the Maduro operation was meant to distract from purportedly slumping poll numbers, the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, and to essentially seize another country’s oil reserves.

“Trump is a total failure,” Wiener said. “By engaging in this reckless act, Trump is also making the entire world less safe … Trump is making clear yet again that, under this regime, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are no norms – there is only whatever Trump thinks is best for himself and his cronies at a given moment in time.”

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GREENE HITS TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES, ARGUES ACTION ‘DOESN’T SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’

In response, the White House said the administration’s actions against Maduro were “lawfully executed” and included a federal arrest warrant.”

“While Democrats take twisted stands in support of indicted drug smugglers, President Trump will always stand with victims and families who can finally receive closure thanks to this historic action,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

Supporters of the operation have pushed back on claims of “regime change” – an accusation Wiener also made – pointing to actions by Maduro-aligned courts that barred top opposition leader María Corina Machado from running, even as publicly reported results indicated her proxy, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the vote.

“Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela isn’t about drugs, and it isn’t about helping the people of Venezuela or restoring Venezuelan democracy,” Wiener added. “Yes, Maduro is awful, but that’s not what the invasion is about. It’s all about oil and Trump’s collapsing support at home.”

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EX-ESPN STAR KEITH OLBERMANN CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES THAT CAPTURED MADURO

Around the country, a handful of other Democrats referenced impeachment or impeachable offenses, but did not go as far as Wiener in demanding such proceedings.

Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md., who represents otherwise conservative “Mountain Maryland” in the state’s panhandle, said Monday that Democrats should “imminently consider impeachment proceedings,” according to TIME.

McClain-Delaney said Trump acted without constitutionally-prescribed congressional authorization and wrongly voiced “intention to ‘run’ the country.”

SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’

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One frequent Trump foil, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., cited in a statement that she has called for Trump’s impeachment in the past; blaming Republicans for letting the president “escape accountability.”

“Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality. I am reconsidering that view,” Waters said. 

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“What we are witnessing is an unprecedented escalation of an unlawful invasion, the detention of foreign leaders, and a president openly asserting power far beyond what the Constitution allows,” she said, while appearing to agree with Trump that Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and “collaborat[ion] with… terrorists.”

Wiener’s upcoming primary is considered the deciding election in the D+36 district, while a handful of other lesser-known candidates have reportedly either filed FEC paperwork or declared their candidacy, including San Francisco Councilwoman Connie Chan.

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California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress

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California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress

California Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) has died, GOP leadership and President Trump confirmed Tuesday morning.

“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House majority whip, in a post on X. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”

LaMalfa, 65, was a fourth-generation rice farmer from Oroville and staunch Trump supporter who had represented his Northern California district for the past 12 years. His seat was one of several that was in jeopardy under the state’s redrawn districts approved by voters with Proposition 50.

Emergency personnel responded to a 911 call from LaMalfa’s residence at 6:50 p.m. Monday, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. The congressman was taken to the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where he died while undergoing emergency surgery, authorities said.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death is planned, according to the sheriff’s office.

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LaMalfa’s district — which stretches from the northern outskirts of Sacramento, through Redding at the northern end of the Central Valley and Alturas in the state’s northeast corner — is largely rural, and constituents have long said they felt underrepresented in liberal California.

LaMalfa put much of his focus on boosting federal water supplies to farmers, and seeking to reduce environmental restrictions on logging and extraction of other natural resources.

One LaMalfa’s final acts in the U.S. House was to successfully push for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act, a long-standing financial aid program for schools surrounded by untaxed federal forest land, whose budgets could not depend upon property taxes, as most public schools do. Despite broad bipartisan support, Congress let it lapse in 2023.

In an interview with The Times as he was walking onto the House floor in mid-December, LaMalfa said he was frustrated with Congress’s inability to pass even a popular bill like that reauthorization.

The Secure Rural Schools Act, he said, was a victim of a Congress in which “it’s still an eternal fight over anything fiscal.” It is “annoying,” LaMalfa said, “how hard it is to get basic things done around here.”

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In a statement posted on X, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said he considered LaMalfa “a friend and partner” and that the congressman was “deeply committed to his community and constituents, working to make life better for those he represented.”

“Doug’s life was one of great service and he will be deeply missed,” Schiff wrote.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement called LaMalfa a “devoted public servant who deeply loved his country, his state, and the communities he represented.”

“While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care,” Newsom said.

Flags at the California State Capitol in Sacramento will be flown at half-staff in honor of the congressman, according to the governor.

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Before his death, LaMalfa was facing a difficult reelection bid to hold his seat. After voters approved Proposition 50 in November — aimed at giving California Democrats more seats in Congress — LaMalfa was drawn into a new district that heavily favored his likely opponent, State Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat who represents the state’s northwest coast.

LaMalfa’s death puts the Republican majority in Congress in further jeopardy, with a margin of just two votes to secure passage of any bill along party lines after the resignation of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday evening.

Adding to the party’s troubles, Rep. Jim Baird, a Republican from Indiana, was hospitalized on Tuesday for a car crash described by the White House as serious. While Baird is said to be stable, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson from Louisiana, will not be able to rely on his attendance. And he has one additional caucus member – Thomas Massie of Kentucky – who has made a habit of voting against the president, bringing their margin for error down effectively to zero.

President Trump, addressing a gathering of GOP House members at the Kennedy Center, addressed the news at the start of his remarks, expressing “tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member” and stating his speech would be made in LaMalfa’s honor.

“He was the leader of the Western caucus – a fierce champion on California water issues. He was great on water. ‘Release the water!’ he’d scream out. And a true defender of American children.”

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“You know, he voted with me 100% of the time,” Trump added.

A native of Oroville, LaMalfa attended Butte College and then earned an ag-business degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He served in the California Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and the California State Senate from 2010 to 2012. Staunchly conservative, he was an early supporter of Proposition 209, which ended affirmative action in California, and he also pushed for passage of the Protection of Marriage Act, Proposition 22, which banned same-sex marriage in California.

While representing California’s 1st District, LaMalfa focused largely on issues affecting rural California and other western states. In 2025, Congressman he was elected as Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, which focuses on legislation affected rural areas.

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