Anoka Times

Rep. Harry Niska, a Minnesota state legislator, used his social media platform on September 19, 2025, to criticize Governor Tim Walz and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party regarding their approach to criminal justice and public statements.

In a post published at 2:33 a.m., Niska stated, "It makes sense that @Tim_Walz is defending Jimmy Kimmel’s misinformation about Charlie Kirk’s assassin, considering that his hand-picked party chair (& former staffer) still has the same lie posted." This comment referenced an ongoing dispute involving national television host Jimmy Kimmel and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Later that morning at 12:21 p.m., Niska addressed crime policy in Minnesota by writing, "Buried at the end of this story, but even the @StarTribune is reporting about the sick crimes being enabled by @Tim_Walz’s soft-on-crime policies. This sicko was caught in 2018, but Walz & the DFL trifecta passed a law to expunge it from his record! Time to turn the page."

He continued this theme in another post at 12:32 p.m., stating, "He was charged in 2018, but those charges were expunged because of soft-on-crime legislation passed by @Tim_Walz’s trifecta. Now he’s facing charges in three different counties for similar crimes. Minnesotans deserve to be safe from criminals like this!"

The context for these posts includes recent legislative changes in Minnesota related to criminal record expungement. In recent years, Minnesota lawmakers have enacted reforms allowing certain non-violent offenses to be removed from individuals' records under specific conditions. Proponents argue these measures support rehabilitation and reduce barriers for people reentering society after serving their sentences. Critics like Rep. Niska contend that such laws may enable repeat offenders or undermine public safety.

Governor Tim Walz and the DFL Party have defended these reforms as part of broader efforts aimed at balancing accountability with opportunities for second chances within the justice system.