As of this morning, there is no suspect in custody following yesterday’s murder of Charlie Kirk at a college event in Orem, Utah. The FBI and Utah law enforcement authorities report that while the shooter remains at large, a high-powered rifle believed to be the murder weapon has been recovered, and surveillance footage and other evidence pertaining to the murderer has been gathered. Witnesses have described few security measures in place. Worse yet, FBI Director Kash Patel, in yet another moment of ineptitude, botched the immediate aftermath of the killing with incorrect reports about the apprehension of a “subject”. Even MAGA faithful are piling on.
Every former president has condemned the murder – but former game show host Donald Trump opted to make a live statement from the Oval Office that turned out to be a poorly received, politically inflammatory rant. WaPo chalks it up to Trump’s personal ties to Kirk. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Sen. Elizabeth Warren had thoughtful and wise words.
It comes as no surprise that an apparent act of political violence has triggered calls for retaliatory violence from MAGA and the extreme right – including FOX propagandist Jesse Watters. Calls for him to be sidelined have been met with crickets. On the other hand,one post from Laura Loomer, however, backfired badly.
At the Idaho state capitol, a vigil for Kirk turned violent after someone “yelled an expletive about Kirk.”
Social media bungled the immediate aftermath, falsely naming a Canadian as the shooter. Political voices, meanwhile, are expressing fear and foreboding about the country’s direction‘.
It also should not shock anyone that media outlets, which remains in walking-on-eggshells mode as the Trump Regime continues to attack truth-telling, fired MSNBC’s Matthew Dowd and suspended Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski. Comedy Central has pulled this season’s second episode of South Park, which skewered Charlie Kirk’s so-called “debate” style.
The killing was carried out much like a scene from “Day of the Jackal” – and former Trump advisor Roger Stone speculates on whodunit with an assessment that may well be correct.
Meanwhile, Kirk’s white Dominionist followers are calling him a martyr. Lest anyone forget, Kirk was a virulent racist, and one can find examples here, here, here, and here.