Governor Criticizes DFL Official for ‘Murder Boat’ Remark

ST. PAUL (AP) -- Governor Tim Walz is criticizing a Minnesota Democratic party official for describing a Navy ship as a ``murder boat.''

Walz, a Democrat who served in the military, said he was ``totally appalled'' by a tweet from William Davis, the deputy communications director for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. In his weekend tweet, Davis called the newly christened USS Minneapolis-St. Paul a ``murder boat.''

Davis deleted the tweet Monday after he was sharply criticized, and said he meant no disrespect for soldiers. He said he was ``talking about a weapon of war.''

Walz said the DFL should ``take appropriate response'' to Davis's remarks. Ken Martin, the state party chairman, said Davis had deleted his account and would no longer be handling ``public-facing communications'' for the party.