Does It Matter That Charlie Kirk Joked About the Attack on Paul Pelosi, Said 'Patriot' Should Bail Out Attacker?

"The many, many troubling things that right-wing activist Charlie Kirk said in the public spotlight during his brief career are being trotted out online in the immediate aftermath of his horrific assassination, including comments he made about the 2022 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi. We are going to be hearing a lot from Trump and the Republicans in the coming days about how violent the American Left is, no matter what we end up learning about the person who shot Charlie Kirk."

"And while Kirk is being praised on the right for his unapologetic views and mode of unabashed free expression, we can't discount how he himself dismissed an act of politically motivated violence just a couple of years ago, and downplayed the role that conservative rhetoric played in it. The double standard being invoked here, which strikes everyone on the left as gross and unfair, is going to"

"While expressing one's opinions, no matter how repulsive, should not be something that gets someone killed, neither should being married to someone in the political spotlight, because of their spouse's opinions and positions. That was the case with Mark Hortman, the husband of Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman. Both were killed in June in an act of political violence allegedly committed by someone on the right, who also targeted another Democratic lawmaker and his wife."

Charlie Kirk's past remarks, including comments about the 2022 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, have resurfaced after his assassination. Republican leaders are likely to emphasize alleged Left-wing violence regardless of the shooter's motives. Kirk received praise on the right for unapologetic expression even though he previously dismissed politically motivated violence and downplayed conservative rhetoric's role. Media outlets and Democratic politicians are being careful to avoid endorsing political violence. Spouses of public figures can become targets, as with Mark and Melissa Hortman, who were killed in June in an act allegedly committed by someone on the right. Trump focused his remarks on other incidents and framed violence as coming from the Left.

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