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Who is Peggy Flanagan? Minnesota Lt. Governor accused of involvement in Signal chat for ‘violent protests’
Unverified posts alleged that Peggy Flanagan was among various Minneapolis residents and activists coordinating against federal agents in a Signal chat.
Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan has been named in unverified social media posts circulating amid protests in Minneapolis following the killing of ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti during a federal immigration enforcement operation. Amid unrest in Minnesota, unverified X posts alleged that Flanagan was among various Minneapolis residents and activists coordinating against federal agents in a Signal chat.
The claims surfaced online after Pretti, a 37-year-old US citizen and nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital, was shot and killed by federal immigration officers on Saturday. His death came weeks after poet Renee Nicole Good, also 37, was shot dead by a federal immigration officer.
The two deaths have sparked protests in Minneapolis and elsewhere, drawing criticism of the federal response from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Allegations against Peggy Flanagan
Several posts on X alleged that there is a Signal messaging group purportedly involving Minneapolis residents and activists coordinating against federal agents. Right-wing social media accounts subsequently circulated names and alleged roles of individuals they claimed were associated with the group, including Flanagan.
These claims have not been independently verified by HT.com. There has been no official confirmation about the existence of such a Signal group.
Who is Peggy Flanagan?
According to the Minnesota state government portal, Peggy Flanagan is Minnesota’s 50th lieutenant governor and a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. She is currently the highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office in the United States.
Flanagan has served alongside Governor Tim Walz since 2019. Her work as lieutenant governor has focused on issues affecting children, working families, Indigenous communities and communities of colour, according to official state records.
She co-chairs the Young Women’s Initiative, leads the state’s response to homelessness as chair of the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, and serves as chair of the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board and the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security.
The lieutenant governor has also been involved in advancing legislative initiatives.
Flanagan is a native of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and earned a bachelor’s degree in American Indian studies and child psychology from the University of Minnesota. She previously served on the Minneapolis Board of Education, worked at Wellstone Action, led the Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota, and was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2015, representing parts of Hennepin County.
She lives in St. Louis Park with her husband, Tom, their daughter and family dog, according to the Minnesota state portal.
