Liberal figures lambast ‘prayers’ in wake of Minnesota church shooting

Liberal media figures criticized calls for prayer on Wednesday after a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school left two children dead and injured more than a dozen others.

Authorities said two children were killed and more than a dozen others were injured Wednesday when a gunman opened fire during Mass at Annunciation Catholic School.

“These children were probably praying when they were shot to death at Catholic school. Don’t give us your f—— thoughts and prayers. Trump got rid of the Office of Gun Violence and Prevention. Trump gutted the resources that were in place to keep our communities safe,” Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., wrote on social media.

MINNESOTA SCHOOL SHOOTING GUNMAN KILLS 2 CHILDREN, INJURES 17 OTHERS DURING CATHOLIC MASS

Jeff Timmer of the Lincoln Project attacked Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on social media after Graham said he was praying for the Minneapolis community.

“The kids were praying when they died. How’d that work out, you obsequious coward? Now, f— off,” Timmer wrote.

MSNBC host Jen Psaki also criticized prayer in a post on social media following the shooting.

“Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does 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,” she wrote on X. 

The liberal MSNBC host followed up with another tweet, writing, “When kids are getting shot in their pews at a catholic school mass and your crime plan is to have national guard put mulch down around DC maybe rethink your strategy.”

“Thoughts and prayers, I’m so beyond that nonsense. The lie of that,” MSNBC’s Michael Steele said Wednesday during his show, “The Weeknight.”

In addition to Rep. Frost, other Democratic lawmakers also dismissed the notion of “thoughts and prayers” in the wake of the shooting. 

“Thoughts & prayers are not enough—Congress must act to stop gun violence,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., wrote on X.

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Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., wrote, “Thoughts & prayers aren’t going to do anything to fix this.”

CNN’s Dana Bash played a clip of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s remarks in the aftermath of the shooting on Wednesday. 

“Don’t say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now — these kids were literally praying,” he said.

Bash echoed his point during a conversation with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who also agreed with the mayor and said, “thoughts and prayers weren’t enough here right now, because these kids were actually praying.” 

Bash added, “He’s expressing something that I know you feel and most people feel, which is a combination of sadness, but raw rage that forget about thoughts and prayers. These kids were literally praying when they were murdered through a church window.”

During MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday, Frey said thoughts and prayers were “welcome,” but that they weren’t enough.

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The attacker was identified by law enforcement sources to Fox News as a person who may have used two names, Robin Westman and Robert Westman. 

Police described the gunman as in his early 20s and dressed in black clothing, who targeted the Mass, which marked the first week of classes for children attending the school, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. 

Fox News’ Matt Finn and Greg Norman contributed to this report.