Is there any evidence to support Tucker Carlson's claim about the Minnesota assassinations?
Executive summary
Tucker Carlson’s claim about “Minnesota assassinations” is being advanced via his show and guests—most notably an interview with journalist Liz Collin that frames recent shootings in Minnesota as political and potentially connected to Governor Tim Walz (Tucker’s episode and highlights) [1] [2]. Available reporting in the provided sources documents Carlson’s broadcast, Collin’s assertions, and local discussion of an alleged suspect named Vance Boelter, but independent verification or official confirmations of a broader conspiracy tied to Walz or coordinated political assassinations are not found in the supplied material [3] [4].
1. What Carlson actually said — broadcast, guests and focus
Tucker Carlson devoted a long-form episode to what he called the “Minnesota assassinations,” hosting Liz Collin who detailed a narrative tying recent killings to Minnesota politics and asking whether they were “manufactured” or politically motivated; the episode and shorter highlights appear on Carlson’s platform and podcast listings [1] [2] [5]. Transcripts and local write-ups show Carlson and Collin repeatedly framed the events as part of a larger pattern of political violence in Minnesota [4] [3].
2. Who’s making the core allegation — Liz Collin and Carlson’s framing
The principal on-air source for the claim in these materials is Liz Collin, a Minnesota reporter interviewed by Carlson; Collin recounts details about the suspect’s background and statements and suggests unusual circumstances around the attacks [5] [4]. Alpha News’s coverage republishes and amplifies their discussion, emphasizing the name Vance Boelter as the alleged perpetrator in its reporting [3] [6].
3. What the supplied sources do and do not show about evidence
The supplied sources document the broadcast, Collin’s reporting, and local commentary that the alleged assailant existed and was charged—Alpha News and the Tucker Carlson materials reference an “alleged political assassin Vance Boelter” [3]. However, the provided sources do not include independent police statements, court filings, forensic evidence, or official indictments linking the shootings to a government actor or to Governor Tim Walz; those primary-verification documents are not present in the materials you supplied [3] [4]. Available sources do not mention official confirmation of a coordinated political-assassination campaign tied to state leadership.
4. How major outlets and fact-check contexts matter here
The provided set does not include national news wire reports, law-enforcement press releases, or multi-outlet investigations corroborating Carlson/Collin’s broader conspiracy framing. Without those kinds of corroboration in the supplied reporting, claims of a systemic, politically orchestrated assassination campaign rest primarily on the assertions made on Carlson’s platform and sites that republished the interview [1] [2] [3].
5. Patterns from Carlson’s past coverage that add context
Context from the supplied sources shows Carlson has previously promoted high-profile assassination-related theories and clashed publicly with federal agencies over characterizations of shooters—e.g., his disputes with the FBI over other shooter narratives—indicating a pattern of highlighting or amplifying contested claims about political violence [7] [8] [9]. That pattern is relevant for readers assessing the credibility and intent of the current Minnesota coverage [7].
6. Competing viewpoints and evidentiary limits
Within your sources, the competing viewpoint is primarily implied rather than fully documented: Carlson presents a conspiratorial frame, while conventional journalistic standards would require corroboration from police reports, court records, or multi-source investigations, none of which are provided here [1] [5]. The supplied material includes local commentary and retransmission (Alpha News, iHeart transcripts) but lacks the official or forensic sources that would shift the claim from allegation to established fact [3] [5].
7. Bottom line for readers
The available reporting you provided documents that Carlson and Collin publicly asserted a politically linked series of Minnesota killings and discussed an alleged suspect, but it does not contain independent, official evidence tying the incidents to a coordinated political assassination campaign or implicating Governor Tim Walz; primary source confirmation is not found in these materials [1] [3] [4]. Readers should treat the broadcast claims as allegations pending verification from police records, court documents, or investigative reporting beyond the Carlson/Collin segment.