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WASHINGTON – In an interview with the New York Post following Wednesday’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) slammed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party for their “trans refuge” law that has “exacerbated” mental health issues across the state. Whip Emmer also noted that the Democrats’ attempts to diminish the power of prayer during such a tragic event “is a slap in the face to the victims and their families.”

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House GOP Whip Tom Emmer calls for repeal of Minnesota’s ‘trans refuge’ law

New York Post

Josh Christenson

August 28, 2025

The third-ranking House Republican called Thursday for Minnesota to repeal its “trans refuge” law in an exclusive interview with The Post following Wednesday’s deadly shooting targeting Catholic school students in Minneapolis.

“We’ve got to respect everyone. We’ve got to have compassion for everyone. But we’ve got to understand that we’ve got some serious mental health issues that are being exacerbated by these types of messages by people like Tim Walz and everybody who supported that law,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, whose district covers many of the Twin Cities’ outer northern and western suburbs.

“They should immediately repeal it, but they won’t,” Emmer added. “They have been encouraging this type of confusion. This poor young man was tortured. He clearly had serious mental health issues and rather than actually helping him, they were actually exacerbating it.”

The 2023 legislation, signed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz blocks out-of-state subpoenas, arrest warrants and extradition requests for people who travel to the Land of 10,000 Lakes from other states for sex-reassignment surgeries or hormone treatments.

Critics have also argued the law is written broadly enough to pave the way for parents to lose custody of their children if they oppose transition procedures.

Emmer claimed Walz’s “transgender sanctuary” measure would let any minor transition without their parents’ consent.

“You look at the sadness of these tortured human beings — because they do have regrets later — and no, we should have never started it. It should not be allowed.”

Robin Westman, born Robert Westman, killed two children and wounded 17 others — including 14 youngsters — at the Annunciation Catholic Church and School Wednesday morning before turning the gun on himself.

Westman applied to change his birth name from Robert to Robin in Dakota County, Minn., when he was 17 years old, court documents show, with the change granted in January 2020.

Westman’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, was a secretary at the Catholic school until retiring in 2021, according to a Facebook post by the church. She now lives in Florida.

His father, James Westman, is a Minnesota resident. The couple divorced in 2013.

“Somebody had to know,” Emmer said Thursday, “Somebody in his neighborhood, somebody in his family, somebody in his network, somebody had to know that he had these serious mental health issues and why didn’t someone speak up? Why didn’t somebody offer him some help?”

In a manifesto posted on YouTube before the massacre, Westman wrote: “I only keep [the long hair] because it is pretty much my last shred of being trans. I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brain-washed myself,” he wrote, according to a translation by The Post.

Another page showed a diagram of the church that he thrust a knife into the center of in one video, while still other videos posted by the gunman showed ammo magazines with the message, “Where is your God?”

Emmer said he fully supported the FBI investigating the shooting as an anti-Catholic hate crime and act of domestic terrorism.

On Tuesday, one person was killed and six were injured at a shooting next to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, a spurt of violence that Emmer said seemed oddly targeted at Catholic institutions.

He also slammed Democratic officials and liberal pundits for criticizing those asking for prayers amid the tragedy.

“Contrary to what my Minneapolis mayor says,” the lawmaker said of Jacob Frey, “we are keeping all of these families in both shootings and the victims that are involved in our thoughts and prayers.”

Hours after Westman opened fire through the windows of the church while students were praying at Mass, Frey had said at a press conference: “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now: These kids were literally praying.”

“It really is a slap in the face to the victims and their families for the young, immature mayor of Minneapolis to suggest that this is not a time to have thoughts and prayers,” Emmer said. “That’s so inappropriate.”

Former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki erupted on X as well.

“Prayer is not freaking enough,” Psaki posted Wednesday. “Prayers do not end school shootings. Prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.”

Vice President JD Vance responded to Psaki’s post: “We pray because our hearts are broken. We pray because we know God listens. We pray because we know that God works in mysterious ways, and can inspire us to further action.

“Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?” Vance asked.

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