Mike Lee tweets spark backlash at home, in this week’s Inside Voices

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After a gunman shot two different Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses — one couple fatally — Utah Sen. Mike Lee took to social media, though not in the way many of us expected.

From his @BasedMikeLee X account, Lee shared several pieces of misinformation about the attacks and blamed “the left” for the violent acts. He eventually shared condolences via his official senator account, and later deleted some of the controversial posts, but comments had already started to roll in — at home and across the country:

From Tribune readers

“You need a come-to-Jesus moment,” wrote Shelley Edmonds in a letter to the editor directed at Lee. “You are contributing to the divisive atmosphere in our country and endangering other public servants of both parties and their family members.”

“Lee does not understand or represent the flags he charges voters to fly over the U.S. Capitol,” writes Garth Talbot in an op-ed. “For all his talk, Lee consistently shows a callous disregard for human life, as he demonstrated this past weekend.”

On social

“I generally like Mike Lee but he deserves all the smoke coming to him for that garbage tweet,” one reader commented on X. “Can’t stand on someone’s corpse after they were brutally murdered hours before.”

“Shameful @senmikelee,” one reader commented on a Tribune Instagram post. “You represent hate, not Utah.”

“He is perfectly representing the Utah GOP and its leadership, actually,” one reader commented on another one of our Instagram posts. “They have no decency or care for our home, our families, our lives.”

From around the nation

“I have made only one visit to Utah, where I found the people to be respectful, helpful, decent and honest, which is why I can’t understand how and why Mike Lee is your senator,” writes Richard Young in Minneapolis.

Even comedian Jon Stewart offered his take on Lee, asking “What the f--- is wrong with that guy?” on Monday night’s edition of “The Daily Show.”

From the editorial board

In response to the tweets, The Tribune’s editorial board took it upon themselves to draft an apology on behalf of the senator — one that they wish he would issue himself:

“My thoughtless actions posting tasteless and false messages on social media have brought dishonor to my state, to the United States Senate, to my family, my party and my faith. I have caused additional pain to people who were already mourning the loss of close friends to acts of horrible political violence. For this, I apologize and I ask your forgiveness.”

This all reminds me of a question I asked more than a year ago, one that solicited more than 100 responses from across the state. I think now might be a good time to raise it once more: Do you think your elected officials are representing you well — both in Utah and nationally? Why or why not? Tell me what you think.

Utah Voices

The following excerpts come from op-eds recently published in The Tribune.

Why the ‘No Kings’ protest is a fair representation of who we are

“It’s kind of beautiful, when you think about it, that our first instinct is to protect 一 to call out, alert others to danger, to reach out, to pull them to safety,” writes Georgia VanDerwater. “It’s tragically beautiful. When we ran, we ran toward each other.” Read more.

One Utahn’s argument for keeping birthright citizenship in place

“The sensitivity of the immigration debate lies with birthright citizenship, the future of our country and how birthright citizenship is defined,” writes local pastor Andre’ M. Boyd. “I believe we must travel back in time and revisit when the 14th Amendment was created — and for whom it was written: newly emancipated slaves and their descendants.” Read more.

Utah’s universities ‘are not vocational boot camps’

“Universities are more than a job pipeline,” writes Dr. Tyson Riskas, a professor at Utah Valley University. “They need to be viewed as developmental playgrounds, places where students learn how to think, not what to think, how to engage empathetically within society and to question systems, not just follow them.” Read more.

A threat to funding that resulted in ‘a vital Great Salt Lake discovery’

“As a Utah scientist, I fear we will not immediately feel the full impact of these abrupt and sweeping cuts to science spending,” writes Dr. Julie Jung, an assistant professor at Weber State University. “The consequences will slowly seep into the day-to-day lives of our children and our children’s children, long after this administration has left office.” Read more.

Utah’s new Democratic strategy ‘isn’t new enough’

“To break the Utah Republican supermajority, ‘winning’ must look like something else,” writes Michelle Quist, the chair of the Forward Party of Utah. “A plurality of political parties could end the supermajority: More parties means building coalitions and finding solutions through compromise and good policy — not hot rhetoric. And a plurality may be closer to reality than we think.” Read more.

How one Utahn is fighting for her family’s future

“Lobbying always felt like something other people did; people who understand politics and are confident public speakers,” writes Helena Huizenga. “But I promised myself this year that I would find new ways to take action. So on a cold Thursday in January, I walked into the Capitol with Grow the Flow, a non-profit organization working to save the Great Salt Lake through advocacy and policy change.” Read more.

Share Your Perspective

Tell me why you choose to attend — or not attend — protests? What kind of safety measures, if any, would you like to see in place?

From Bagley’s Desk

I’m always looking for unique perspectives, ideas and solutions that move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop me a note at voices@sltrib.com.