Vance Luther Boelter Worked under Tim Waltz

1. The documented appointment: he was appointed to a governor’s board

Public records and contemporaneous reporting show Gov. Walz signed a document reappointing Boelter to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board in December 2019, and that reappointment is the concrete link between Boelter and the Walz administration that has been repeatedly cited in coverage ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Several outlets — from AFP and CBS Minnesota to local reporting in the Twin Cities — noted the appointment and the board membership in their profiles of Boelter after the shootings ^{[1] [4] [6]}.

2. What that appointment actually entails: advisory, part‑time, non‑staff service

The Governor’s Workforce Development Board is an advisory body that recommends workforce and employment policy and meets intermittently; members are appointed from public and private sectors and do not constitute the governor’s executive staff or cabinet ^{[3] [7]}. Reporting and statements from Walz’s office emphasize that the governor does not personally interview all appointees, the board is large (about 60 members) and nonpartisan, and membership does not mean a direct managerial relationship with the governor ^{[3] [7] [4]}.

3. The difference between “appointed to a board” and “worked under” a governor

Multiple outlets responding to online speculation drew the distinction between being a board appointee and being an employee or aide who “worked under” Walz; fact‑checks explicitly rejected claims that Boelter was a governor’s aide or staffer, noting the board role is limited and largely hands‑off from the governor’s daily operations ^{[5] [1] [4]}. News features that tracked meeting records found only sporadic participation by Boelter, further underscoring the limited, non‑staff nature of the appointment ^{[6] [7]}.

4. How the appointment was used — and abused — in online narratives

Conservative influencers and some outlets amplified the Walz appointment into claims that Boelter was a “Tim Walz appointee” with implied close ties or loyalty, and some social posts went further to insinuate conspiratorial motives; fact‑checkers and local reporting pushed back, documenting the appointment but rejecting assertions of a working relationship or orchestrated political violence by Walz ^{[3] [1] [8]}. The amplification risked converting a verifiable, narrow fact (a board appointment) into a misleading portrait of institutional control or culpability that existing reporting does not support ^{[7] [1]}.

5. Alternative viewpoints and limits of the record

Some international and national outlets reported or repeated language suggesting Boelter “worked under” or was an “ex‑aide” to Walz, a characterization not substantiated by the state appointment records or spokespeople quoted by local fact‑checkers; those pieces reflect either loose use of “under” or less precise sourcing ^{[9] [8]}. Available records and statements in the cited reporting do not confirm Boelter ever held an on‑payroll staff position inside the governor’s office; if such employment existed, it is not documented in the assembled reporting and cannot be affirmed here ^{[4] [3]}.

6. Conclusion: accurate phrasing matters

The evidence establishes that Gov. Walz reappointed Vance Luther Boelter to serve as a business member on a statewide advisory workforce board in December 2019 — a documented, limited appointment — but does not support claims that Boelter “worked under” Walz in the sense of being a governor’s staffer, aide, or subordinate employee; reputable fact‑checks and state spokespeople make that distinction plainly ^{[2] [5] [4]}. Where narratives have stretched the appointment into a claim of deeper operational ties, the record and multiple fact‑checking outlets identify that as misleading amplification rather than established fact ^{[1] [7]}.