'I've Struggled To Come To Terms With This Tragedy': Angie Craig Honors Melissa and Mark Hortman

In House floor remarks on Tuesday, Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) spoke about the assassination of State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

Transcript

00:00I rise today to honor two incredible Minnesotans and friends who were taken

00:18from us too soon. Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman. We lost Melissa

00:26and Mark two weekends ago in an unthinkable politically motivated attack that also threatened

00:32the lives of State Senator John Hoffman, his wife Yvette, and their daughter Hope. Like

00:38many Minnesotans, I've struggled to come to terms with this tragedy to make sense of it,

00:44but I found comfort in community and in sharing stories of my friends Melissa and Mark. So

00:51today I'd like to remember the Hortmans for the people that they were and the legacy that

00:56they will leave behind. Anyone who knew Melissa and Mark knew that together they were a force

01:02for good. Melissa was a dedicated public servant and both she and her husband devoted their

01:08lives to improving the lives of Minnesotans. Personally, Melissa and I shared a love of

01:16golden retrievers. We often exchange stories and photos of our beloveds. She adored her

01:22golden retriever, Gilbert, and he adored her. Professionally, I had the privilege of working

01:28with Melissa over the years and watching her excel as Speaker of the Minnesota House. I'd

01:34always admired her work and her ability to work across the aisle, make tough decisions

01:39when she needed to. She was a true leader and she led by example. Recently, Melissa had

01:46to take a vote, a tough vote that she personally didn't agree with, but it was the best deal

01:50she could get. In my last conversation with her, I told her that I was proud of her, proud

01:58of her leadership. Standing here today, I'm so glad that I did. It's still difficult to comprehend

02:05the violent attacks on the Hortmans and Hoffmans, but what I do know is that we got here in part

02:12because of our divisive rhetoric that we have allowed to seep into our politics and into

02:18our communities. It will take our entire community coming together. We must hold ourselves and

02:24each other accountable. It's the only way forward, and it's how we honor the legacy of Melissa

02:29and Mark. Thank you, and I yield the balance of my time.