Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY) downplayed the possibility of political rhetoric playing a role in the murder of Charlie Kirk, encouraging “far right podcasters” and others to stop pushing the notion.
Kirk spoke on the Utah Valley University campus on Wednesday when he was shot. President Donald Trump later confirmed Kirk had died. Multiple lawmakers and Trump administration officials are paying tribute to the Turning Point USA founder, including Trump, who vowed to award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
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Goldman said he did not know Kirk personally, but said Kirk and his commitment to civil debate are “exactly” what politics should be about. He also said all lawmakers “to some degree” are fearful since political violence is “escalating,” citing the shootings in Minnesota in June.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper told Goldman that people in the “far right podcasting sphere” are saying “there’s a war targeting conservatives. The lawmaker called the rhetoric “incredibly dangerous,” and urged Trump publicly to “speak out” against this.
“And I hope these far-right podcasters come to their senses and recognize that this is not war. We are Americans at bottom, and we may be Republicans, we may be Democrats, but we do not divide this entire country based on political ideology. And we can‘t do that,” Goldman said on CNN Wednesday.
“And we have to come back and remember that we are all Americans in the greatest country on earth, and that we may disagree on how we move forward, but we all want our country to move forward,” Goldman said.
WHAT THE MURDER OF CHARLIE KIRK MEANS
Trump blamed the “radical Left” for what he described as inflammatory rhetoric that contributed to Kirk’s shooting. He also ordered that the flag be lowered to half-staff until Sunday night to honor Kirk.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is leading a call for X owner Elon Musk to remove videos of Kirk’s murder on X. She encouraged other social media platforms to deplatform these videos as well.
The Washington Examiner contacted Goldman’s office for comment.