GOP needs more Cheneys and Romneys

LETTERS LETTERS@USATODAY.COM

Whenever people are faced with a difficult situation, the instinct too often is to pretend that it doesn’t exist. Our nation has undergone a series of tests of human strength, perhaps the most trying of which has been former President Donald Trump.

His sycophants in Congress denied the real damage he was doing to this country. Those individuals continue to give him too much power.

Now we are faced with the second Trump impeachment trial. Already, the Trumpsters in Congress are touting their oaths to a man who is nothing less than a cult leader.

Wake up, Republicans! Do you wish for the schism in your party to render it irrelevant? Where are your values, honesty and accountability?

Those who remain faithful to Trump’s lies have gone past denial to something far more dangerous — defiance. The GOP could use a few more Liz Cheneys and Mitt Romneys. Karen Lakeman

Albuquerque, N.M.

WANT TO COMMENT? Have Your Say at letters@usatoday.com, @usatodayopinion on Twitter and facebook.com/usatodayopinion. Comments are edited for length and clarity. Content submitted to USA TODAY may appear in print, digital or other forms. For letters, include name, address and phone number. Letters may be mailed to 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA, 22108.

BUFFALO, Minn. – Five people were injured and a suspect was in custody Tuesday after a shooting at a health clinic in Minnesota, officials said.

The shooting happened late Tuesday morning at the Allina Health clinic in the city about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Buffalo Police Chief Pat Budke said the department received a call of shots fired just before 11 a.m. local time. City and county officers arrived to find several people injured, as well as the suspect, and the officers tried to help, Budke said.

“There is no information at this point that leads us to believe that there is any nexus with any type of domestic terrorism,” Budke said, pausing to hold back tears. “We are very familiar with the suspect.”

Five people were taken to area hospitals, said Kelly Spratt, president of Allina Health Buffalo. Four were ultimately taken to North Memorial Hospital and one to Hennepin County Medical Center. Two had initially been taken to Buffalo Hospital, he said.

“At this point, I do not have the most up-to-date information on the patients’ conditions,” Spratt said.

Officers also found a suspicious package in a corner of the lobby and evacuated the facility, Wright County Sheriff Sean Deringer said.

Deringer identified the suspect as Gregory Paul Ulrich, 67, of Buffalo. Officers have received “several calls” pertaining to Ulrich dating back to 2003, Deringer said.

The suspect acted alone and appeared to intentionally target the facility or someone at the facility, Budke said. The suspect had been treated at the facility in the past, he said, but there was “nothing to indicate that we would have been in the situation that we are in today.”

Ulrich had been staying at a Super 8 motel, located less than three miles from the clinic, Deringer said. Officers found “additional, suspicious devices” at the hotel, Deringer said.

Earlier, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said “some improvised explosive devices” were related to the incident. Budke later said “there may have been” an explosion inside the facility prior to officers arriving on the scene, but he did not give additional information.

Budke didn’t say how many shots were fired.

Wright County County Attorney Brian Lutes said he expects Ulrich to appear in court at 10:30 a.m. CT Thursday. “Prior to that I will file a detailed complaint that spells out all the details that are not yet available due to the early stages of this investigation,” Lutes said.

Court records indicate Ulrich was previously convicted several times of driving while intoxicated and possessing small amounts of marijuana, including two convictions for gross misdemeanor drunken driving that resulted in short jail sentences.

In 2018, he was arrested in Buffalo on the charge of violation of a harassment restraining order, according to court records.