In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon, it became clear that, for a moment, condemning political violence in the vaguest possible terms was a necessity for the American left.
We won’t post video of it here, even though it’s readily available online. A summation from The Washington Post will do: “Kirk, 31, had been speaking to a crowd from under a tent when a shot rang out and he jolted back, bleeding profusely from the neck, video shared on social media shows. Spectators ran from the courtyard where they were gathered, next to the university’s student center.”
It’s unclear what the shooter’s motive was; as of 6:45 p.m. Eastern, FBI Director Kash Patel has announced that a suspect was in custody but declined to give details.
The outrage over such an act was predictable, including from the left. “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now.” (Joe Biden.) “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy.” (Barack Obama.) “Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation.” (Nancy Pelosi.) “We should all come together to stand up against any and all forms of political violence.” (Gretchen Whitmer.)
This is all well and good until you remember that up until almost yesterday, the left was saying that it needed to do whatever it could to oppose President Donald Trump and his allies. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy decried “this dark day” and used the occasion to note that “[p]olitical violence in America is spiraling” while engaging in a hefty dose of bothesidesism.
2/ Political violence in America is spiraling – January 6th, the attempting assassination of President Trump, the beating of Paul Pelosi, the murder of the Minnesota legislators, the shooting of Brian Thompson, and now the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
— Chris Murphy ???? (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 10, 2025
He also put out a similar statement where he called Kirk’s death “gun violence” — which, while technically true, doesn’t get even close to what motivates such an act.
This is so tragic. The endless horror of gun violence in this country should be unacceptable to all of us. And there can be no tolerance for political violence in America. I’m pulling for Mr. Kirk and thinking of his family and the survivors. https://t.co/y4Uy6ckkiA
— Chris Murphy ???? (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 10, 2025
These thoughts would otherwise pass under the radar, and come across as a bit naïve — if you don’t consider what Murphy, a potential dark horse 2028 presidential contender, was saying in an interview conducted on Sunday and widely disseminated just a day before Kirk’s death.
“We’re in a war right now to save this country,” Murphy said during an interview with NBC News journalist Chuck Todd on startup digital outlet Noosphere.
“And so you have to be willing to do whatever is necessary in order to save the country,” he added.
Senator Chris Murphy, yesterday:
“We’re in a war right now to save this country. And so you have to be willing to do whatever is necessary in order to save the country.” pic.twitter.com/bdj1rlsDT5
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) September 10, 2025
Rather unbelievably, a fuller clip than the one that went viral on X in the wake of the shooting — posted to Murphy’s Instagram on Tuesday, no less — is even less exculpatory, with the Connecticut senator talking about “fight[ing] fire with fire” and “blowing up norms.”
View this post on Instagram
For the record, here also is Mr. Todd in the wake of the assassination, saying that “None of us want to live in a tinder box,” despite not pushing back on Murphy:
The whole point of political debate is resolve disputes WITHOUT violence. What happened to Charlie Kirk is simply horrific and sickening. And on a college campus, no less, a place where we should be celebrating speech, not trying to silence it. Everyone in the political arena…
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) September 10, 2025
To say that someone seemed to believe them, even if they didn’t hear them, isn’t flippant but accurate. Here we have one of the most powerful lawmakers in America saying the Democratic Party is effectively on a war footing and must do “whatever it takes” to stop the MAGA movement, and another of America’s most powerful journalists not immediately interrupting him and asking whether he understands the full import of what it means.
A day afterward, Murphy joins in the chorus of those calling the murder abhorrent — and intimating that it was caused by “gun violence.” The fact that Donald Trump was almost killed not once but twice during the 2024 campaign apparently didn’t enter his head when he said this. Neither did the fact that his party has effectively been rationalizing political violence for years, including gun violence.
When the norms have been destroyed and the war against civil discourse rears its head in this vile way, of course, Murphy wants nothing to do with it. Neither do other Democrats. When this passes, they’ll have learned nothing. The cycle begins anew, sadly. It’s time for real accountability, including holding Murphy accountable for his own words before Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
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