Minnesota woman pleads guilty to threatening state House speaker

By Elyse Apel
The Center Square

A Minnesota woman has pleaded guilty to threatening Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth after leaving a series of violent voicemails earlier this year.

Rachel Marie Welsch, 43 and a resident of Washington County, pleaded guilty on to one count of threats of violence. Under a plea agreement, she is expected to receive five years of probation and could face up to 90 days in county.

Welsch is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 10.

Prosecutors charged Welsch in February after alleging she repeatedly left threatening voicemails for Demuth over several weeks during Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement operation supported by Minnesota Republicans that drew significant public backlash.

According to court records, Welsch left numerous messages in January and February, calling Demuth a “traitor” and “racist.”

“I am going to come and meet you . . . Wherever you are, you should be wondering when we are going to come,” Welsch’s first voicemail said.

In later voicemails, Welsch referenced firearms, noted there was “no bulletproof glass” separating the two, and claimed she had been taking shooting classes and improving her marksmanship.

The Minnesota State Patrol visited Welsch’s home in early January after the initial messages, but prosecutors said she continued leaving voicemails that escalated in threats.

In a statement following the guilty plea, Demuth, who is also a Republican candidate for governor, thanked law enforcement and the Washington County Attorney’s Office for taking the threats seriously.

“I sincerely hope that the consequences in this case will dissuade future threats, and that legislators and other public officials can continue to do their jobs without having to fear for the safety of themselves or their families,” Demuth said.

Welsch’s guilty plea comes just a month after Vance Boelter pleaded guilty in federal court to murdering Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman in a series of targeted political attacks in June 2025.

Boelter admitted to the crimes while in court. Prosecutors said Boelter carried out the attacks after planning them in advance.

“Political violence is a scourge in our nation,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. “To all of those who would commit political violence: this Justice Department will seek and obtain the longest prison terms for your offense.”