Utah Republican senator faces backlash over post condemning Kirk’s killing

Only months ago, Mike Lee had posted disparaging tweets after Democrat Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot

The official X account of Mike Lee, a Republican US senator, drew backlash after quickly condemning Wednesday's killing of influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah - less than three months from when the politician initially responded to the shootings of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers by boosting misinformation about that case.

A post from Lee, who joined the Senate in 2011, denounced Kirk's murder as a cowardly act of violence" while hailing the Turning Point USA executive director as an American patriot" and inspiration to countless young people". His post also solicited prayers for the 31-year-old Kirk's widow, Erika, and their children.