Long before Tim Walz was a household name for his presidential politics, the governor of Minnesota was all-too-familiar to the law enforcement community in the North Star State.
And the Democrat was so despised that the widow of a Minnesota deputy killed in the line of duty essentially ordered Walz to stay away from her slain husband’s funeral.
And she let him know what would happen if he showed his face.
On Thursday, the conservative-leaning U.K. Telegraph published an interview with Shannon Owen, widow of slain Pope County Deputy Josh Owen. Josh Owen was killed in April 2023 while responding to a domestic dispute.
In the article, Telegraph chief reporter Robert Mendick recounted hearing a recording of a phone call between Owen and Walz two days after the deputy’s death, in which Owen told Walz in no uncertain terms that he was not welcome to attend services for her husband.
If Walz tried to attend, Mendick wrote, Shannon Owen said she would “make sure that I escort your a** out of here.”
Owen’s conversation with Walz was reported April 20, 2023, by Alpha News, a conservative news outlet based in Minnesota.
That report did not include a reference to Walz’s posterior, but the essence was the same.
An interview with Owen was also featured in a documentary Alpha News released called “Minnesota v. We the People.” The documentary looks at the deaths of five Minnesota first responders over a 13-month period in 2023 and 2024.
Shannon Owen’s distaste for Walz came through loud and clear:
Watch the moment Shannon Owen, widow of fallen Deputy Josh Owen, tells Gov. Tim Walz not to attend her her husband’s funeral: ‘Don’t come anywhere near my town’
As seen in the new Alpha News documentary “Minnesota v. We the People” https://t.co/pTRU8EYNeS pic.twitter.com/OZLajy1zUT
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) October 24, 2024
In the interview with the Telegraph, Shannon Owen made it clear her feelings hadn’t changed.
“I took the phone call. I didn’t say much. I just let him ramble because that is what politicians do,” said Owen, who said she was unaware that the call was being recorded on video, according to the Telegraph.
“I said: ‘Are you planning on coming to the funeral?’ and he said: ‘Of course, I’d be honored to come’ and I said: ‘Well, you’re not welcome.’ And he’s like, ‘Why is that?’ And I said, ‘Because you defunded the police. You don’t even support the police, why would I want you to come?’
“And Josh did not like him at all. And that would have been his wishes to not have any corrupt politicians there. He was a little bit blindsided on that and didn’t know what to say. I just said: ‘And if you show up to my town I know everybody here will escort you out because I don’t want you here.’”
The widow of a Minnesota sheriff’s deputy who was mu*dered on his 44th birthday in the line of duty told Gov. Tim Walz, “You’re not welcome” at my husband’s funeral, and if Walz tried to attend, she would “make sure that I escort your
a-s out of here.”Gov. Walz made several… pic.twitter.com/4djYhlARK7
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) October 24, 2024
Walz responded with boilerplate talk for a politician, but was obviously flustered by the conversation.
“I totally understand, respect your rights,” he said. “Our office is here to support you in any way you need.”
He did not attend the funeral.
By contrast with the strained conversation with Walz, former President Donald Trump wrote Owen a letter of condolence after her husband’s death, according to Mendick. She was “proud” to receive that, Mendick wrote.
Minnesota was ground zero of the anti-police mania that swept the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd, the accused counterfeiter who died in police custody in May 2020. (A Minneapolis police officer was convicted of his murder.)
As the state’s governor, Walz was responsible for preventing the kind of violence that took over Minneapolis — and he failed miserably.
He also failed to support the men and women of law enforcement, charged with protecting the people of his state on the front lines.
Mendick’s article included a telling quote from Liz Collins, who produced the “Minnesota v. We the People” documentary.
“Minnesota has sadly become the home for the ‘defund the police movement’ and the consequences are clear,” she said. “Under Walz’s watch, the dangerous job of being a police officer has become much more dangerous.”
This is the man chosen by the vice president to be her running mate in the November election — the man who would be president in the event Harris won but could not continue in office, for whatever reason.
He’s a man whose relationship with the truth is questionable — whether he’s claiming combat service in the military or exaggerating his rank at retirement from the National Guard, lying about the details of his DUI arrest from 1995, or even about the conception of his own children.
That’s the Tim Walz that Americans who are paying attention have come to know since Harris selected him for the Democrats’ No. 2 slot.
Is Tim Walz huring Kamala Harris’ election chances?
Yes: 100% (1 Votes)
No: 0% (0 Votes)
But Minnesotans like Shannon Owen have known Tim Walz for a much longer time, and her feelings are obvious.
In 2020, Tim Walz was the wrong man to have at the helm of Minnesota when it faced the George Floyd crisis. In 2023, he was the wrong governor to attend the funeral of a man who lost his life in law enforcement service.
And in 2024, he’s the wrong man for the United States to be considering for the vice presidency.
Harris deserves to lose the November election for many, many reasons. But choosing Tim Walz alone would be enough.
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