House GOP plans to honor Charlie Kirk, who called for Biden's execution

House Republicans are preparing to pass a resolution to honor the life and work of bigot and conspiracy theorist Charlie Kirk, who was killed last week. The planned honor is the latest element in the right’s crusade to use Kirk’s death to promote a censorious agenda meant to silence millions of Americans.

Axios reported on Thursday that the planned resolution describes Kirk as a “courageous American patriot” who “personified the values of the First Amendment, exercising his God-given right to speak freely, challenge prevailing narratives, and did so with honor, courage, and respect for his fellow Americans.” The resolution also claims that Kirk sought to “elevate truth.”

These are all lies.

Kirk used the platform of his radio show and his activist group Turning Point USA to promote bigotry against Black people, women, LGBTQ+ people, liberals, and more. He promoted debunked conspiracy theories in the wake of the 2020 presidential election and supported efforts to overturn the election victory of former President Joe Biden.

No sugar-coating it: Daily Kos needs your help. Can you chip in $5 today?

Specifically on the subject of Biden, Kirk called for him to be killed. In a 2023 rant on his syndicated radio show, Kirk said, “Joe Biden is a bumbling, dementia-filled—Alzheimer's—corrupt tyrant who should honestly be put in prison and/or given the death penalty for his crimes against America.”

Contrary to the House resolution’s claims, Kirk also supported violence against his political rivals. In 2022, a deranged man attacked Paul Pelosi, husband of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer. The attack fractured Paul Pelosi’s skull. After the man was arrested, Kirk called for an “amazing patriot” to “go and bail this guy out.”

To honor Kirk is to honor his support for killing a Democratic president.

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat, told Axios she would oppose the resolution, explaining that she is “not sure what is honorable” about Kirk’s extensive record of divisive, often violent comments.

No billionaire backers, no paywalls. Daily Kos news exists because of YOU, our donor community. Now, we need your help. Please donate today.

Another Democrat, Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz, said he would vote for the resolution, arguing that voting to honor Kirk—a person with a history of racism—is “one way” of “bringing the temperature down” on political rhetoric. Moskowitz’s statement reflects much of the naivete that other Democratic lawmakers have expressed following the Kirk killing, ignoring the activist’s own record as well as Republican clear plans to exploit the death for their political benefit.

So far, House Democratic leadership has also not sent out guidance to members about how they should vote on the issue.

Since Kirk’s killing, Republicans, conservative activists, and right-wing media have been forcefully and nationally attempting to shut down dialogue about Kirk, his bigoted record, and the hatred he regularly espoused. They have pushed for firings and deplatforming and have even used the weight of the Federal Communications Commission to silence popular Trump critics, like late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

The right is trying to take down the First Amendment, and they want to honor the life of the hate-monger whose death they are using to fuel their campaign. 

Click here to check out this story on DailyKos.com.

We're not asking for much

The average donation to Daily Kos has been just $9.44. These donations may seem small, but they're a big deal to us. In fact, they are our largest source of income. We literally couldn't do the work we do without them. Can you join thousands of other Daily Kos readers and help us with a donation of $9.44 right now?