Firestorm erupts online after Minnesota paper praises Tim Walz's clemency for child sex offender

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.

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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. It’s 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.

"Vang’s 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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"Minnesota’s 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 I’ve ever seen."

"The Minnesota Star Tribune just gave a 'Cheers' to Tim Walz for standing by his pardon of a convicted child rapist. Absolutely disgusting," said online commentator Dustin Grage.

"The degeneracy of the modern left would be impossible to exaggerate because it is impossible to exaggerate infinity," said Claremont Institute senior fellow Jeremy Carl.

Nick Freitas, another online personality, wrote, "Every time I think I despise the main stream media enough, they triple their efforts."

Walz's attempts to protect Vang — and his defense of the pardon — proved moot when on July 10, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the illegal alien had been deported to his native Laos.

"Just weeks ago, a foreign child rapist was freed to once again endanger America's children after receiving a pardon from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz," Rubio told Fox News Digital at the time. "Tue Lue Vang admitted to committing heinous crimes against a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota. He attempted to pay his victim for her silence and dismissed his acts of child abuse as a 'minor thing.'"

"Just days before he was scheduled to be deported, the Minnesota Governor pardoned him, setting him free to endanger American families once again," he continued.

"That's why I terminated his legal status in the United States. Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again."

Days after Vang's deportation, Walz doubled down on his decision to grant clemency.

"Did that make us any safer?" Walz questioned. "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?"