The Minnesota Star Tribune is facing significant backlash after a columnist defended Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's decision to grant clemency to Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of repeatedly raping a 10-year-old girl.
Vang, who was set to be deported, received a unanimous pardon from the Minnesota Board of Pardons on June 10. The board includes Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. A columnist for the Star Tribune, Rochelle Olson, praised Walz's vote in a piece titled "Cheers to Gov. Tim Walz," defending his decision to pardon Vang, who had been convicted of felony sexual assault in 2006.
Critics, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., condemned the newspaper, with Emmer calling it a "depraved rag." Other commentators also voiced outrage, with some accusing the column of downplaying the severity of Vang's crimes and failing to mention the victim was a minor. The column did reference a letter from the victim supporting Vang's clemency.
In her column, Olson drew a comparison between Vang's actions and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters, stating that "those folks received presidential pardons." This comparison was met with further criticism from various online personalities and commentators.
A spokesperson for the Star Tribune stated that the paper "regularly publishes a wide range of opinions across the political spectrum" and that the columnist agreed with the unanimous pardon decision. The spokesperson added, "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."
Despite the clemency, Vang was deported to Laos on July 10, as announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio criticized Walz's actions, stating that the governor's pardon freed a "foreign child rapist to once again endanger America’s children." He further noted that Vang had admitted to committing heinous crimes and had attempted to pay his victim for her silence.
Following Vang's deportation, Governor Walz defended his decision, questioning the impact of the pardon on public safety and stability. "Did that make us any safer?" Walz asked. "Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?"