Jeff Monosso discusses Minnesota shootings

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
My name is John Mountain, filling in for JT. He
will return tomorrow. Right now, let's go to Chicago and
Jeff Manasso. Jeff Congress is holding those emergency briefings after
last week's Minnesota shootings. What is the latest about this suspect.
I understand he's being charged with Is it first degree murder?
How is the charging working?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yeah, so fifty seven year old Advance Belter is now charged. Well,
he's facing federal and state charges. The Feds taking the
lead Department of Justice, charging him with murder and stalking
and other counts which could make him eligible for the
death penalty. The state has also charged him, but they

(00:44):
are seeking first degree murder and other charges against him.
He remains jailed. He's expected to be back in court
next week, we believe. And it is threats like that
and actions like that at that have members of Congress
holding an emergency briefing and talking about uh security, security

(01:09):
for themselves, security for the families, and and uh you know,
what we're told is that this guy had maybe not
a hit list, but that he targeted dozens of of
of other politicians statewide in Minnesota. Also uh you know, uh,
uh you know you know, federal lawmakers Debbie Dingle of Michigan,

(01:30):
Mark Pocann, Glen Moore Wisconsin, Illhanomar Minnesota. The Republicans have
also been targeted. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green says she
gets the most death threats of any member of Congress.
A man was arraigned Monday in Georgia on charges of
communicating threats of violence against Republican senators Ted Cruz of

(01:51):
Texas and deb Fisher of Nebraska, all less than one
year after two assassination attempts against President Trump. Uh and
and so you know you're you're, you're you're hearing from
from politicians who saw you know, I'm Dusty Johnson, Reped
Dusty Johnson out of South Dakota, Republican who says he
keeps a loaded gun by his bed now uh and

(02:11):
other stories like that. And in Republican Tennessee wrapped Tim
Burchett is is now leading an effort to get members
of Congress around the clock security services when they're in
their home states. John Many states like Wisconsin, Minnesota have
now adopted additional security measures. Uh And and you know

(02:33):
obviously that that costs money. Uh and and so as
lawmakers call for more protection, they're they're going to have
to ask for access to to new funding. What's interesting
is that, you know, while while we're talking about keeping
politicians safe, uh from from from crazy people, what we're

(02:54):
not hearing is is something that that's that's free. It's
tamping down the rhetoric, you know, the rhetoric, the inflammatory
rhetoric that we're here on both sides, but on a
daily basis. You know, whether or not we're reading it,
hearing it seen on social media or on television, we're
seen it on a daily basis. You know, perhaps that's

(03:15):
feeling not only division, but crazy people to act.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
But the problem is when we say we want to
tamp down this rhetoric. You can even say to the
politicians they can't say these things, but that doesn't keep
crazy people out there from saying crazy things. That's you know,
a whole free speech thing here in America. That's what
we do. We talk about stuff, and it is interesting
in our country, we're somewhat unique in that we almost
i would say almost like it's politics is a sport

(03:39):
to us. We're into it much like the way that
that some people are into you know, football or something
like that. We're always looking to see how your team
is doing and who scored a point? And like, after
this thing, the first thing a lot of people's minds
went to when they found out, Oh, no, politicians were
targeted by a politically motivated attack.

Speaker 3 (03:58):
Was that?

Speaker 1 (03:59):
Were they Democrats or Republican politicians? Was this guy a
Trump supporter or was he a Biden supporter?

Speaker 3 (04:04):
Who? You know?

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Who gets the point? Who do we go ahead and say, ah,
we knew what your guys are bad, Our guys are good,
And we look at it from that standpoint of win
or loss, one or zero. We don't look at it
from a standpoint of there are crazy people out there
who sometimes take things the wrong way, and when they
do that, we have to do something about them. And
this guy probably has been doing crazy things for a while.

(04:26):
I don't imagine that he just all of a sudden
woke up one day. He clearly put a lot of
thought into this thing.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
Oh, he absolutely did, And his story just gets even
more and more bizarre. So I think, you know, we're
all waiting to hear more details about this guy. Obviously,
it's information that investigators are keeping close right now because
of you know, they're charging decisions in a case that
they have to build. But this guy is you know,

(04:52):
the fact is this just his is his personal life.
You know, he had apparently a nice home in green Isle,
and he also kept like a ramshacklement with some dude
in the Twin Cities. He had, he was in the
restaurant industry. He was he's seen on video, uh, preaching
in the Congo. He's he was in the funeral home
industry and the removal process for for for that, and

(05:16):
it's just it's all over the map and it's hard
to get to be on exactly who this guy was.
You know, yeah, he was a he worked for for
the state in some capacity. But you know, well, I
guess we'll all find out or maybe not, you know,
perhaps as you mentioned that point, there's a lot of
people that might want to keep information quiet because they

(05:38):
don't want to give up the point.

Speaker 3 (05:40):
It's it's it's it's a bit ridiculous, but this is
where we are, and so politicians are asking for you know,
safety and security as they were rightfully should for their.

Speaker 2 (05:53):
Family members and themselves, particularly when they're in their home states.
We'll see what what happens. With this, and perhaps that
there's some sort of funding mechanism that comes out of it,
because that's going to be very, very expensive. And we'll
also wait with baited breath to see if the inflammatory
rhetoric tamps down because of it.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Well, and you know the mantra of all politicians at
all times, don't you stand there, spend something, Jeff Manasso
live from Chicago. You're right, they will do something. There
will be reaction, and probably most of the reaction will
not be helpful.