Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) released a statement on Friday, Sept. 19, following her opposition to a resolution “honoring the life and legacy” of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, 31, who was murdered allegedly by lone shooter Tyler Robinson during a Utah Valley University college campus event on Sept. 10, one of many held by Kirk during which he, students, and members of the public typically debated various topics. The resolution later passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, Politico reported.

 

“House Republicans today brought to the floor a resolution ‘honoring the life and legacy’ of Charlie Kirk,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I voted NO. Condemning the depravity of Kirk’s brutal murder is a straightforward matter, one that is especially important to help stabilize an increasingly unsafe and volatile political environment where everyday people feel at risk. We can disagree with Charlie and come together as a country to denounce the horror of killing. That is a bedrock American value.”

 

The congresswoman continued, “It then only underscores the majority’s recklessness and intent to divide by choosing to introduce this resolution on a purely partisan basis, instead of uniting Congress in this tragedy with one of the many bipartisan options to condemn political violence and Kirk’s murder, as we did with the late Melissa Hortman, [the Democratic 61st speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025.]”

She continued, “Instead, the majority proceeded with a resolution that brings great pain to the millions of Americans who endured segregation, Jim Crow, and the legacy of that bigotry today. We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was: a man who believed that the Civil Rights Act that granted Black Americans the right to vote was a ‘mistake,’ who after the violent attack on Paul Pelosi [husband of former Democratic speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi] claimed that ‘some amazing patriot out there’ should bail out his assailant, and accused Jews of controlling ‘not just the colleges – it’s the nonprofits, it’s the movies, it’s Hollywood, it’s all of it.’”

 

The congresswoman said Kirk’s rhetoric and beliefs were “ignorant and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans,” and were “far from ‘working tirelessly to promote unity’ as asserted by the majority in this resolution.” She said it was equally important that Congress united to reject the government’s “attempt to weaponize this moment into an all-out assault on free speech across the country.”

 

She continued, “All in the name of Charlie Kirk, the Trump Administration and the FCC are now cynically threatening to shut down ABC and any outlets who give airtime to his political critics. This is a disgusting attack on the American people and the very First Amendment rights that define us as a country. It is also ABC’s responsibility to refuse to participate in this corruption and escalation of censorship.”

The congresswoman has previously referenced harassment and threats made to her and other elected officials. For more on the general topic of political violence, click here.

 

The bill follows a prior proclamation by U.S. President Donald Trump, also the target of an attempted political assassination in 2024, in which he ordered the lowering of U.S. flags across the country to half-mast following Kirk’s assassination, as well as the release by the White House of a video tribute to Kirk.

 

Robinson is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law. Kirk’s funeral is to be held on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. with various vigils [and potentially protests] planned across the country to coincide with it.

 

Bronx congressman Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) has separately lead efforts to pass the Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024 in the wake of the attempted assassination of the president in 2024.

 

Ocasio-Cortez concluded, “We continue to pray for Mr. Kirk’s family and loved ones in the wake of this terrible act. I’m thinking especially of his children and his wife whose grief cannot be measured.”