The death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week has sparked political unrest in Washington as some house democrats are concerned about a potential “messaging trap” over a Republican resolution to honour him, while other lawmakers are worried about the broader political climate following government pressure on broadcasters.

A five-page resolution introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson has been co-sponsored by 165 House Republicans, with no Democrats signing on. The document praises Kirk as a “courageous American patriot” who sought to “elevate truth, foster understanding, and strengthen the Republic.”

According to multiple sources present at a closed-door caucus meeting on Thursday morning, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries informed Democrats that leadership would vote for the resolution.

However, he clarified that his team would not be whipping the vote, allowing lawmakers to decide for themselves, The Guardian, a United States news media, reported.

The vote on the political violence resolution is expected to take place on Friday, likely in conjunction with the short-term bill designed to fund the government until November 20.

The internal Democratic tensions highlight broader concerns about political polarisation in the wake of Kirk’s killing on September 10 at Utah Valley University. At least one House Democrat, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, plans to vote against the resolution, telling Axios that she is “not sure what is honourable” about many of Kirk’s past statements.

The measure describes Kirk’s shooting as a stark reminder of the escalating threat posed by political extremism and hatred in our society.

Jared Moskowitz, a Democratic representative from Florida who plans to support the resolution, told Axios: “The guy was assassinated. I disagreed with him on a lot of things, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was shot in the neck on live TV in front of his kids and wife.”

The struggle has extended beyond in-fighting on Capitol Hill, as the Federal Communications Commission chair, Brendan Carr, was condemned by a handful of Republicans after he pressured ABC to suspend the late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over comments about Kirk’s killing.

“We all should be very cautious,” Jerry Moran, a senator from Kansas, told Politico. “The conservative position is free speech is free speech, and we better be very careful about any lines we cross in diminishing free speech.”

The House energy and commerce chair, Brett Guthrie, whose committee oversees the FCC, said on Thursday, “Just because I don’t agree with what someone says, we need to be very careful. We have to be extremely cautious to try to use the government to influence what people say.”

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However, more than a dozen Republicans told Politico they were not bothered by Carr’s intervention, largely framing Kimmel’s suspension as a business decision rather than government coercion.

Donald Trump, while at a state visit and press conference in London with the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, blamed the Kimmel suspension on an exaggerated claim of supposedly bad ratings while simultaneously admitting the Kirk issue played a role.

“Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else,” Trump said. “And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk.”

Eleven Democrats in the Senate, including the minority leader, Chuck Schumer, said they were “outraged” by Carr’s comments, and demanded answers by 25 September, telling the FCC chair in a letter: “This is precisely what government censorship looks like.”

Democratic leaders in the House took it a step further and demanded Carr’s resignation, accusing him of “corrupt abuse of power” in forcing ABC to suspend Kimmel’s late-night show through regulatory threats. They warned that House Democrats would “make sure the American people learn the truth, even if that requires the relentless unleashing of congressional subpoena power”.

TVC previously reported that the Conservative American activist Charlie Kirk was tragically killed in a shooting at Utah Valley University, where he was hosting an event as part of his “American Comeback Tour”.

Kirk was known for his influential role in mobilising young voters in support of President Trump’s campaign.

As seen in the gory video, Kirk was murdered while addressing the public during the tour. His death, which has garnered criticism and condemnation from world leaders, most especially the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

https://www.tvcnews.tv/trump-other-world-leaders-condemn-charlie-kirks-assasination/