The Most Dangerous Man in Utah

Mike Lee jokes about political assassinations while auctioning off our public land. This is who he really is.

There are two kinds of bad politicians:

• The ones who write the policy that hurts people and the ones who laugh while it happens.

• The cold, calculating ones who rig the system on purpose. And the reckless ones who treat politics like a game, even when people are dying.

Mike Lee is both.

He’s the architect and the troll. The guy drafting extremist laws and joking about political assassinations online.

While Utah mourned another weekend of gun violence and lawmakers in Minnesota were literally being buried, Mike Lee was on Twitter, making jokes.

And when he wasn’t tweeting, he was trying to sell off two million acres of public land. Your ski runs, your favorite trail, your river spot. No hearings, no public input, just a clearance sale for billionaires.

Writing policy that hurts people. Making jokes while people are dying.
Doing both. From the same damn phone.

This isn’t a senator. This is the most dangerous man in Utah.

The Comments That Told Us Who He Really Is

There’s a specific kind of heartbreak that comes with working in politics right now. You learn how to manage fear. You Google yourself to see what personal info is floating around. You memorize the exits at every event. You teach your interns what to do if someone shows up with a gun.

We’ve heard it from candidates. We’ve heard it from staff. We’ve heard it from people who attended the march, people who were still celebrating a joyful, peaceful day when everything changed. People who spent the weekend cycling between grief, fear, rage, and logistical triage.

And the hardest part is we’re not even the ones who were harmed the most.

Because then, one weekend, your colleagues are murdered. Your friends are hospitalized. A shooter’s hit list includes people you’ve worked with.

At the exact moment Capitol staffers are checking on each other’s safety, when grieving aides are canceling events, drafting statements, updating security protocols, when elected officials’ security details are being increased, when people are finding out that their friends and colleagues have been killed on the news, when a manhunt is still underway and no one knows who might be next, your phone buzzes.

And it’s Mike Lee.
Tweeting “jokes”.

He posted a photo of the shooter with the caption: “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way.”

And followed it with a pun: “Nightmare on Waltz Street.”

This isn’t just callous. It’s dangerous.

Lee wasn’t amplifying a message. He was testing a boundary. He wanted to see how far he could go, what he could get away with.

And when he wasn’t condemned fast enough, he doubled down: “Fact check: TRUE.”

That post was a direct reply to Elon Musk, who wrote: “The far left is murderously violent.”

The claim was in response to speculation that the shooter in Minnesota was a leftist, despite the fact that people who knew the suspect say he was a Republican, a gun rights absolutist, and a known extremist in his local community.

Mike Lee wasn’t stating a belief. He was endorsing a lie. He wasn’t confused. He was deliberately shifting blame, using a mass murder to inflame division and score points with the same audience that made “Based Mike Lee” a brand.

We’re used to politicians disappointing us. But this was different. This was cruelty for sport.

This wasn’t a misstep or a misunderstanding. It was a clear choice.

• To laugh while people buried their friends.

• To troll while the shooter was still on the run.

• To use the deaths of real people as a punchline for his followers.

He didn’t just cross a line. He reminded us that to him, there never was one.

The Sell-Off

While Mike Lee was online mocking political assassinations, he was also trying to push through one of the most extreme land grabs in modern U.S. history.

Tucked into the Senate GOP’s budget reconciliation bill is a provision, championed by Lee as Chair of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, that would force the sale of two million acres of federal public land over five years. It’s not a request. It’s a mandate.

The land would come from the 250+ million acres of BLM and Forest Service land in 11 Western states, including 18.7 million acres in Utah alone. Eligible parcels would be nominated every 60 days with zero requirements for public input, hearings, affordability, environmental review, or even access.

He says it’s to increase housing options. And yet, there’s no requirement that the land be used for housing. No affordability standards. No zoning guidance. No oversight.

He says it’s about protecting “Western culture” and local control. And yet, there’s no protection for sacred Tribal lands. No exemption for wildlife corridors or recreation zones.

Just a blank check for developers, extractive industries, and the ultra-wealthy.

This isn’t fiscal responsibility. It’s a fire sale.

The Bigger Scheme: The Deficit Scam

So why do this? Because Mike Lee and Senate Republicans are trying to pretend this land sale “offsets” the massive tax cuts they’re pushing in the same budget bill.

The tax cuts, basically Trump’s 2017 tax law on steroids, would:

• Add $2.8 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years (even after accounting for projected economic growth, per the CBO).

• Give the wealthiest Americans an average annual tax cut of $12,000+.

• Cost the poorest Americans $1,600 a year.

• Kick over 10 million people off Medicaid through new work requirements.

To make it “add up on paper,” they’re proposing one-time revenue gimmicks like liquidating public land.

Think about that. They’re LITERALLY selling off the Uintas so billionaires can get a tax break.

And they’re calling it budgeting.

Even conservative groups like the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget aren’t buying it. They said: “It’s not only not paying for all of itself—it’s not paying for any of itself.”

What’s at Risk in Utah?

The Wilderness Society released detailed maps showing land that would be eligible under Lee’s provision. These include:

• Ski resorts like Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude all operate on special-use National Forest permits.

• Canyons and trails in the Wasatch: Millcreek, Big & Little Cottonwood, Emigration, Parleys, Logan, Ogden, and Provo.

• Moab classics: Corona Arch, Slickrock, Pipe Dream, Brand Trails.

• Backcountry icons: Gooseberry Mesa, Robbers Roost, the Dirty Devil canyon system, Strawberry Reservoir, the Uintas.

• Land buffering all five national parks: Arches, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Canyonlands.

Basically: If it’s wild, beautiful, or deeply loved, it’s probably on the list.

You can explore the interactive map here (via The Wilderness Society).

Mike Lee’s Greatest Hits (Of Cruelty)

Mike Lee didn’t just wake up one day and decide to start tweeting through a political assassination or sell off the Uintas to pay for billionaire tax breaks.

He’s been building to this moment for over a decade.

This isn’t a departure. It’s the destination. The logical end point of a man who has always used power not to help people, but to hurt them, quietly at first, and now with a smirk and silence.

Here’s a short (but horrifying) noncomprehensive tour of the man’s record:

• 2010: Called federal child labor laws unconstitutional, arguing only states should regulate child labor, referencing an overturned Supreme Court ruling from 1918.

• 2010: Advocated for phasing out Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, stating explicitly: "It will be my objective to phase out Social Security, to pull it up by the roots and get rid of it."

• 2012: Voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, citing concerns over Second Amendment restrictions.

• 2013: Voted against Hurricane Sandy disaster relief, insisting that relief funding must first be offset by budget cuts elsewhere.

• 2016: Used a procedural hold to block federal assistance for the Flint, Michigan water crisis.

• 2020: Was ONE of TWO Senators to vote against the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

• 2020: Said he doesn’t believe that America is “a democracy” or should be.

• 2020: Sent private texts to Trump's Chief of Staff recommending ways to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including promoting alternate slates of electors.

  • But admitted he would have “said less” if he knew they would go public.

• 2020: Was one of only eight senators who voted against the Families First Coronavirus Response Act that provided paid sick leave, free COVID tests, and unemployment benefits.

• 2020: Opposed the $900 billion bipartisan COVID relief bill despite broad bipartisan support.

• 2020: Was the SOLE vote against the ALS Disability Insurance Act of 2019

• 2022: Voted against the Respect for Marriage Act protecting same-sex and interracial marriages, calling its religious protections insufficient.

• 2022: Joins the minority opposing a bipartisan Electoral Count Act reform, aimed at preventing another Jan. 6.

• 2023: Introduced a bill to withdraw the US from the UN.

An analysis by Robert Gherke of the SL Tribune gave us these facts about Mike Lee’s Twitter (seriously, thank you, Robert, for taking one for the team and diving into this madness. You’re braver than the rest of us):

• In 2024, Mike Lee posted 13,142 times on X (formerly Twitter).

• Averaged 36 posts per day, about one every 40 minutes for the entire year.

• From July to December 2024, posted 9,396 times (once every 28 minutes).

• On one day, November 18, 2024, Lee posted 208 times in 17 hours (a post every 5 minutes).

• Policy critiques about beef fat, inefficient light bulbs, and allegations of Biden's dementia.

• Promotes far-right conspiracy theories (FBI involvement in January 6, Epstein’s death conspiracies).

• Launched his account in July 2022 as “one part experiment, two parts dare.”

• Criticized U.S. support for Ukraine over 500 times since 2023.

• Blamed Russia’s invasion on Biden’s NATO policy.

• Posted misinformation from pro-Kremlin site "The Grayzone," resulting in criticism from Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

• Amplified a false Infowars claim about COVID lockdown reinstatement ("Over my lifeless body").

• Promoted false conspiracies about January 6 rioters and FBI involvement, publicly corrected by Rep. Liz Cheney.

• Shared a fake news release mocking former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter.

• Spread false rumors about Biden having a medical emergency aboard Air Force One.

• Shared fake images suggesting Biden’s negligence in response to Hurricane Helene; later deleted after backlash.

• Suggested annexing Mexico and renaming Greenland "MAGAdonia."

• Compared Biden to tyrannical Roman Emperor Caligula.

• Spread misinformation blaming California wildfires on false environmental claims.

• Research shows Lee’s posts becoming increasingly toxic, rising 42% in toxicity from 2022 to 2024.

This isn’t a new Mike Lee. This is the most honest version of him we’ve ever seen.

And he’s not an outlier. He’s a warning.

Utah Deserves Better. And We’re Not Alone.

For years, Utahns have known exactly who Mike Lee is: someone who embraces extreme positions, picks fights, and makes plenty of noise. Many have disagreed with him but respected his consistency and transparency.

But something has changed. It’s no longer just about disagreeing with his politics or his approach. It’s about crossing lines that matter deeply to Utahns, like joking about political violence online, or pushing plans to sell off beloved public lands to the highest bidder.

Utah deserves a senator who represents our best values, not one who undermines them for clicks and controversy.

This isn’t just a political problem. It’s a moral one. A reputational one. A legacy one.

Utahns are kind. Principled. Faithful. Community-minded. They believe in stewardship. In public service. In showing up when it matters.

Mike Lee doesn’t represent any of that anymore. He represents ego, cruelty, and decay.

And here’s the thing: We’re not just angry. We’re organizing.

We’re building coalitions. Recruiting candidates. Training volunteers. We’re knocking doors in red districts. Registering voters in places that used to be ignored. We’re done playing defense, and we’re done being quiet.

This isn’t about turning Utah blue overnight. It’s about something bigger: turning Utah toward decency, sanity, and balance.

Mike Lee can tweet all he wants. But we’re building a future where his name becomes a cautionary tale.

What You Can Do

This isn’t just about disagreeing with his politics. This is about rejecting the cruelty, the chaos, the cowardice. It’s about saying: this is not who we are. And we won’t be represented by someone who acts like it is.

Here’s what you can do right now:

Join the Movement to Fire Mike Lee (FML)

We’re building a campaign to unseat him. Boldly. Publicly. Together.
Sign up at firemikelee.com to get involved, stay updated, and help us build the coalition it’s going to take.

Call His Office

Tell him you see what he’s doing and you won’t forget.

• DC: (202) 224-5444

• SLC: (801) 524-5933

• Ogden: (801) 392-9633

• St. George: (435) 628-5514

• Vernal: (435) 503-9335

Pro tip: Be kind to the interns and staff (we were them once). Be relentless with the senator.

Talk to People Who Might Not Know Yet

This isn’t about reaching liberals. It’s about reaching:

• LDS voters who care about stewardship

• Hunters and outdoorspeople who use public land

• Veterans and working-class conservatives who feel abandoned.

Send them this Substack. Ask what they think. Let the facts speak. You’d be surprised how many people are quietly fed up.

Check If Your Favorite Places Are On the Chopping Block

Use this Wilderness Society map to see if your trails, canyons, or camping spots are at risk under Lee’s land sell-off plan. If they are, tell your story. Post it. Tag your reps.

Don’t Let Up. We Can’t Forget

Share this post. Talk to your friends. Write the op-ed. Send the email. Discomfort is how power changes. And there’s nothing more uncomfortable for a politician than the moment he realizes the people are paying attention.

We don’t just want his tweets deleted. We want him out.

Final Thought

Mike Lee wants you to feel powerless. He wants you distracted by his tweets, discouraged by his extremism, too exhausted to respond. He wants you to believe this is just how politics works now: mean, broken, unfixable.

But here’s the truth:

He’s not invincible. He’s just loud.
And loud doesn’t beat organized.

For every snarky post he makes, there’s a Utah voter who’s waking up. For every acre he tries to sell, there’s a generation ready to defend what belongs to all of us. And for every cruel joke he tells, there’s someone like you, angry, paying attention, ready to fight back.

This isn’t just about a senator. It’s about the future of our state.

We’re not broke. We’re not helpless. We’re being robbed.

And starting now, we’re taking it back.