In a recent op-ed published in the Daily Caller, Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10) claims that the assassination of Charlie Kirk was a direct outcome of what he describes as years of Democrats and media outlets dehumanizing conservatives and normalizing violence. Harrigan asserts this event marks a significant shift in political discourse.
“Charlie Kirk is dead because the modern Democratic Party wanted it this way,” wrote Harrigan. “They could not stand 15 feet in front of him and debate his logic, so they took the coward’s path. They put a bullet in him from 200 yards away. This was not random, and it was not isolated. It was the predictable consequence of years of poisonous rhetoric, media collusion, and a political class that has normalized violence against conservatives.”
He further highlighted Kirk’s influence among young Americans: “Charlie was not just another conservative voice. He built a movement. He gave millions of young Americans the courage to stand up and speak out. He founded the largest grassroots youth organization in the country. For that, the Left marked him as an enemy to be destroyed. The Southern Poverty Law Center even smeared Turning Point USA by placing it on a ‘hate map’ alongside the Ku Klux Klan. That was not journalism or activism. That was a hit list.”
Harrigan placed responsibility for Kirk’s death on political opponents and members of the media: “And now, Charlie’s blood is on their hands. Every Democratic politician who called conservatives ‘Nazis.’ Every cable host who sneered that Trump voters were ‘enemies of democracy.’ Every activist who insisted violence against us was ‘resistance.’ They built this culture. They made it acceptable to hate us, to silence us, to treat us as less than human. When you convince people that their opponents do not deserve to live, this is the result.”
He cited remarks by prominent Democratic leaders: “This is not accidental. It is the natural end of a strategy Democrats have pursued for years: delegitimize, dehumanize, and then destroy. Joe Biden told donors it was ‘time to put Trump in the bull’s-eye.’ Nancy Pelosi once wondered aloud why there were not ‘uprisings all over the country.’ Maxine Waters urged crowds to ‘get more confrontational’ with Trump officials in public. Rep. Dan Goldman flatly declared that Trump ‘has to be eliminated.’ These are not fringe voices. These are leaders of the Democratic Party. And when leaders talk like that, someone eventually acts on it.”
Harrigan also criticized how incidents involving violence against conservatives have been handled by news organizations: “The media did not merely fail to stop it. They became accomplices… MSNBC panelists said with straight faces that conservatives in this country were ‘a threat worse than al-Qaeda.’ CNN accused parents who spoke up at school boards of being ‘domestic terrorists.’ Newspapers ran headlines equating conservatives with ‘authoritarian movements.’ And when violence actually broke out, the press spun, excused, and downplayed it…”
According to Harrigan: “That reaction is the tell… But the truth is unavoidable. Their rhetoric laid the groundwork. Their culture of rage gave permission…”
He compared Kirk’s killing with other violent acts targeting conservatives: “Yes, we have seen this before… But Charlie’s murder is different… It is proof that the Democratic Party and its media allies no longer believe in politics as persuasion…”
He concluded by calling for continued advocacy for free speech: “Charlie Kirk gave America’s youth the courage to fight for freedom… His death must give us resolve to carry on that mission—to speak boldly, to stand firmly…”
Congressman Pat Harrigan represents North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District after winning election against Ralph R. Scott, Jr., securing 57.5% of votes compared with Scott’s 38.2%.
