Vice President JD Vance on Monday jumped onto the conservative movement demanding consequences for those who have cheered Charlie Kirk’s killing, calling on the public to turn in anyone who says distasteful things about the assassination of his friend and political ally.
“When you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder, call them out,” Vance urged listeners on the slain activist’s podcast Monday. “And hell, call their employer.”
Vance’s call also included a vow to target some of the biggest funders of liberal causes as conservatives stepped up their targeting of private individuals for their comments about the killing. It marked an escalation in a campaign that some warned invoked some of the darkest chapters of American history.
“The government involvement in this does inch this closer to looking like McCarthyism,” said Adam Goldstein of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, referring to the 1950s campaign to root out communists that led to false allegations and ruined careers. “It was not a shining moment for free expression.”
Campaign broadens to those who quote Kirk critically
Republican-controlled states such as Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas have launched investigations of teachers accused of inappropriate statements after last week’s assassination. The U.S. military has invited members of the public to report those who “celebrate or mock” the killing and indicated some troops have already been removed for their comments.
At the same time, the Trump administration has vowed to target what it contends is a “vast” liberal network that inspired the shooter, even as authorities maintain it appears he acted alone and the investigation is ongoing.
The campaign has broadened to include even those whose statements were critical of Kirk without celebrating his assassination.
The Washington Post fired Karen Attiah, an opinion columnist, for posts on the day of the shooting that lamented how “white America” was not ready to solve gun violence and that quoted Kirk denigrating the intelligence of prominent Black women such as Michelle Obama.
PEN America, a press freedom group, warned in a statement that firings like Attiah’s “risk creating a chilling effect.”
Goldstein expressed concern about cases like Attiah’s where individuals are targeted for quoting Kirk or failing to adequately mourn his passing: “That’s one of the key symptoms of cancel culture,” he said. “Trying to paint everyone with the same brush.”
Conservatives coined the term cancel culture for what they claimed was persecution of those on the right for their views, especially related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, leading to efforts to get individuals fired.
It was a significant cause for President Donald Trump, who pledged to end it during his campaign last year. But in light of Kirk's killing, he and his administration have instead leaned into it from the right.
A hero to conservatives, a provocateur to many Democrats
A father of two and Christian conservative, Kirk was a hero to many Trump Republicans for his fiery warnings about the dangers of Democrats and his ability to organize young voters. However, he was also seen as a provocateur and a supporter of Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss, with a long record of partisan quips that enraged many on the left.
“According to Kirk, empathy is a made-up new-age term, so keep the jokes coming. It’s what he would have wanted,” read one post on X that Melvin Villaver Jr., a Clemson University music professor, re-posted on the day of the killing, prompting college Republicans to demand his firing. As a result, Clemson suspended Villaver and fired another staff member after pressure from elected South Carolina Republican officials.
Other individuals, like Army Lt. Col. Christopher Ladnier, were targeted merely for quoting Kirk on the day of his assassination.
Ladnier contended, “Just having that ideology, just believing differently than some other American is not illegal,” as he faced online attacks from conservative activists.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott praised a video of a Texas Tech student who was arrested after a confrontation at a vigil for Kirk, indicating that this was retribution for ‘mocking' Kirk’s assassination.
A district in rural Wisconsin experienced a flood of over 800 messages after a conservative influencer wrongly identified an associate principal as celebrating Kirk’s death.
Top Republicans vow to go after ‘domestic terrorist network’
Authorities have stated that Kirk was shot by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, described as rooted in a conservative household but claimed to be influenced by “leftist ideology,” according to the state's Republican governor, Spencer Cox.
Cox indicated that more information about the motivations for the attack might emerge following Robinson’s initial court appearance. The suspect allegedly marked his bullet casings with memes, hinting at a radicalization process that took place within the “dark corners of the internet.”
On Monday, Vance was joined by Stephen Miller, Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff, who declared plans to crack down on what he described as the “vast domestic terrorist network” believed to be responsible for Kirk’s death.
Addressing concerns about free speech, Vance stated: “You have the crazies on the far left that say, ’Oh, Stephen Miller and JD Vance, they’re going to go after constitutionally protected speech.’” He clarified, “No, we’re going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates, and engages in violence,” referring to non-governmental organizations.
Questions surrounding which groups would be targeted remain unanswered as the White House has not responded to requests for clarification.
The concept of a retribution campaign targeting individuals or groups for differing views has raised significant concerns.
“Just having that ideology, just believing differently than some other American is not illegal,” stated Republican Senator James Lankford during an appearance on CNN on Sunday.
Lankford contended that action should only be taken against groups involved in illegal or violent acts.
Killing as a pretext to go after political rivals
On Kirk’s show, Vance spoke about the necessity for unity after the assassination, but then dismissed it as impossible, citing the left’s embrace of political violence. He named two foundations that fund various liberal initiatives and insisted there could be no unity with those who support “terrorist sympathizers.”
Democratic officials have consistently condemned Kirk’s murder, noting their own experiences with political violence, including the recent assassination of Minnesota's House Speaker and her husband, as well as the 2022 assault on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband at their home.
Caitlin Legacki, of 'Stop Government Censorship,' which arose in response to perceived abuses of government power under the Trump administration, commented on the dangers of using tragic events to challenge political adversaries. She remarked that the concern arises when tragic incidents are leveraged to punish opposing views.
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