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Capitol View®
Tim Pugmire

Walz rips DFL staffer’s ‘murder boat’ tweet

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Posted 12:37 p.m. | Updated 1:30 p.m.

Gov. Tim Walz says he was “totally appalled” by a state DFL party official’s recent remark on Twitter about the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul.

William Davis, the party’s deputy communications director, has been facing criticism on social media and elsewhere for calling the newly christened Navy ship a “murder boat.” He has since deleted the tweet.

Walz, a DFLer who served in the military, told reporters Tuesday that the comment is not acceptable. He said it deserves a full apology and action by the party.

“Certainly, the disrespect shown is beyond the pale,” Walz said. “I don’t know who the communication person is. I would certainly hope over at the DFL they take appropriate response to this because there’s no place for that.”

DFL party leaders have not commented on the matter.

DFL Party chair Ken Martin issued a written statement.

“I would like to offer my sincere apologies for the tweet sent by one of our employees," he wrote. "It was unacceptable and does not reflect my own feelings or those of the Minnesota DFL. The staffer who sent the tweet has apologized and deleted his Twitter account. Going forward, he will no longer be engaging in public-facing communications on behalf of our party.”

Davis has run into trouble before for his social media comments. Last fall, a tweet suggesting Republicans be taken to guillotines resulted in a suspension from his DFL job.

Republicans have been critical of the remark.

Jennifer Carnahan, chair of the state Republican party, accused Davis of minimizing men and women in uniform.

“For anyone to refer to our military’s action as murder is abhorrent, especially when that someone is a mouthpiece for the Minnesota DFL,” Carnahan said.