The past five years have seen a sharp rise in politically motivated violence against U.S. public officials.
The most recent and chilling incident occurred last weekend, when Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated at their home by a gunman impersonating a police officer. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also critically wounded in a similar attack just hours earlier. Authorities later discovered a hit list in the suspect’s vehicle, naming more than 45 Democratic officials.