"I wanted him to know how much pain that caused me and the other people in my state," Democratic Sen. Tina Smith said, referring to GOP Sen. Mike Lee.

Deluged with criticism over social media posts that spread misinformation in the aftermath of the shootings of two Democratic Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses, Utah Sen. Mike Lee deleted a handful of his online comments — but not all.

The Republican senator from Utah suggested in social media posts that the killings were the work of “Marxists,” and mocked Minnesota’s Democratic governor. He later issued a more sober condemnation of the violence.