Minnesota’s flagship paper came under fire over the weekend after a columnist defended Democrat Gov. Tim Walz reasoning for pardoning an illegal immigrant just before the convicted child rapist was set to be deported.
“The Minnesota Star Tribune is cheering on Tim Walz protecting an illegal alien monster who raped a 10 year old girl. No one should read this depraved rag. They are sick,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., on X.
Minnesota’s Board of Pardons is composed of Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. They voted on June 10 to grant clemency to Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national who between 2002 and 2004 repeatedly raped a child. Lue was set to be deported from the United States before the clemency was issued.
In a section of the column called “Cheers to Gov. Tim Walz,” writer Rochelle Olson praised the governor and failed vice presidential candidate for his decision to defend the pardon.
“The governor refused to back down from his vote to pardon a Hmong man convicted of felony sexual assault in 2006. Its significant that Tou Lue Vang needed only two of three votes from the state Board of Pardons, but he received unanimous support,” the column states.
Olson did not mention that Vang’s rape victim was a minor, or that Vang raped the child several times over the period of two years. She did reference a letter from the victim addressed to the pardon board supporting Vang’s clemency.
A spokesperson for the paper told Fox News Digital, “The Minnesota Star Tribune regularly publishes a wide range of opinions across the political spectrum.”
“In this case, our opinion columnist agreed with a unanimous pardon by the Minnesota state board of pardons, including Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson,” they added.
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Olson launched into a tirade about Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters in her column, likening their actions to that of the foreign child rapist.
“Vangs actions 20 years ago were awful, but so were the violent protests at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and those folks received presidential pardons,” the author wrote.
Author Dennis Neale slammed that comparison in a post on X, writing: “The Star Tribune likens repeatedly raping a 10-year-old girl to protesting in the Capitol on Jan 6. You fluppin idiots.”
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“Minnesotas largest paper actually figured out a way to shove January 6th into this as a way to excuse an illegal immigrant who sexually assaulted a child,” said another X personality. “One of the most insane things Ive ever seen.”
“The Minnesota Star Tribune just gave a ‘Cheers’ to Tim Walz for standing by his pardon of a convicted child rapist. Absolutely dis
