For years, the left smeared conservative commentator Charlie Kirk with every lie in the book, and they’ve continued their lies since his assassination last month. House Democrats literally refused to condemn his killing because, they said, Kirk was a racist and a bigot. One of the reasons they claim this — aside from the fact that that’s what they say about everyone they disagree with — is Kirk’s rhetoric about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But this week, even CNN castoff Chris Cuomo — hardly a conservative defender — dismantled that lie on his own podcast.
The exchange began when Cuomo’s guest, leftist influencer Adam Mockler, repeated the familiar talking point. “Charlie Kirk shouldn’t have gotten shot. Obviously, that was terrible. He got, like, publicly executed. It was terrible,” Mockler said. “But at the same time, this is a dude who repeatedly said the Civil Rights Act shouldn’t have been passed.”
Cuomo didn’t let it slide. “No, not at the same time. Two things,” he cut in. “You’re about to make the AOC mistake. Charlie Kirk never said the Civil Rights Act [shouldn’t have been passed]. I’ve studied this very deeply. And it’s pretty simple. It’ll take you five minutes. It’s not what he said.”
Mockler pushed back, claiming he had researched it. “I’ve looked it up. I looked it up.”
But Cuomo didn’t budge. “What he said was, ‘Civil Rights Act, good. Needed it, great,’” Cuomo explained. “Was then used to inculcate DEI and do these other things by extension of that law that he was against, and that it should have never been used for those purposes, not to help black people vote. That’s what he believed in. But to make it as an extension of a welfare program for blacks in every manifestation — that he was against.”
Mockler conceded, “Yep.”
ICYMI: Yes, Democrats Shut Down the Government to Give Illegals Free Healthcare
Cuomo even clarified his own position: “Now I happen to disagree. I actually think it was necessary.” But the key point was unmistakable: Kirk never said the Civil Rights Act itself should have been scrapped.
Still, Mockler tried to twist the argument. “I’ve heard him make that argument,” he said.
Cuomo was adamant: “But he didn’t say, ‘Get rid of it.’”
Mockler wouldn’t let go, claiming, “I didn’t say he said, ‘Get rid of it.’ He said they never should’ve passed it in the first place.”
Cuomo corrected him again: “No, I don’t think he did say that. I think what he said was, ‘The way that they… what they did with it made it a mistake.’”
That’s a significant admission. No friend of the right, Cuomo directly rejected the lazy slander that Kirk opposed civil rights altogether. He distinguished between Kirk’s critique of how the Civil Rights Act was later used to justify the sprawling DEI bureaucracy and the false claim that Kirk wanted to abolish it or prevent it from ever existing.
Cuomo is right, of course, and the lies about Kirk’s position on the Civil Rights Act were discussed in detail on The Charlie Kirk Show last week.
In today’s climate, it’s rare to see someone like Cuomo push back against the left’s favorite lies. But in this case, he refused to let the lie slide. Kirk did not oppose the Civil Rights Act, and Cuomo opposed the way Democrats twisted what he did say.
The fact that Chris Cuomo of all people had to say this should tell you everything you need to know about how dishonest the left’s narrative has become.
Chris Cuomo just demolished a favorite leftist lie, but trust me, the lies will continue. Because confronting dishonest narratives matters, PJ Media stands ready for every fight. By joining our VIP club with code FIGHT for a huge 60% off, you get exclusive perks — and you help PJ Media stay in the fight for truth. Don’t let conservative journalism die — your support is urgent.