People across the U.S. are facing disciplinary consequences for expressing views deemed offensive after the killing of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk, who has been described by supporters as a model proponent of free speech.
Several people have been fired, including MSNBC’s Matthew Dowd, and others suspended from their work over comments or social media posts relating to Kirk, who was fatally shot on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration’s State Department warned that it will vet visa-seekers’ and visa-holders’ social media for posts “praising, rationalizing, or making light” of Kirk’s death.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]Democratic and Republican officials have condemned the shooting as the latest episode of a troubling rise in political violence in the U.S. But Kirk’s assassination has also appeared to exacerbate divisions across America. Some fear that the fraught tensions could quickly spiral into more unrest and violence. Several historically Black colleges and universities suspended classes and placed their campuses under lockdown on Thursday citing potential threats, while lawmakers have called for increased security.
A number of far-right influencers and politicians, including President Donald Trump, have blamed the shooting on leftists’ criticisms of Kirk and of the conservative movement more broadly and have called for a crackdown on the left. A particular point of concern many have highlighted is the apparent celebration of Kirk’s death by political opponents.
Workplace sanctions
MSNBC issued an apology after Dowd, a political analyst and media pundit, “made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable,” the company’s president Rebecca Kutler said in a statement. Dowd also issued his own apology prior to the company statement. A source at the network told TIME that Dowd is no longer with MSNBC.
Dowd had appeared to blame Kirk for creating the conditions of his own killing, saying in response to a question about the political environment in which the shooting took place that Kirk has “been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that is the environment we are in.”
Dowd’s not the only one to face consequences for his speech.
An anonymously registered website aiming to “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” asked for tips on people who were “supporting political violence online,” the Associated Press reported. The site had published a list on Thursday of social media posts with the names, locations and employers of the posters. Some posts included inflammatory language but others did not seem to be celebrating the shooting or glorifying violence, according to the AP.
Several right-wing activists have also begun compiling their own lists.
“I will be spending my night making everyone I find online who celebrates his death Famous, so prepare to have your whole future professional aspirations ruined if you are sick enough to celebrate his death,” far-right influencer and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer posted on X.
Scott Presler, a conservative activist and former organizer for the Republican Party of Virginia before the 2016 elections, asked his over two million followers to provide tips on teachers celebrating Kirk’s death, and he shared posts and social media profiles of alleged wrongdoers and, for some, their workplaces.
Florida’s education commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas also warned teachers about making “despicable” comments related to Kirk’s death in a memo to school district superintendents that he posted on X on Thursday. “I will be conducting an investigation of every educator who engages in this vile, sanctionable behavior,” he said in the memo. “Govern yourselves accordingly.”
Some across the country have already faced sanctions. The University of Mississippi said it fired a staff member who had shared “insensitive comments” about Kirk’s death, while the Middle Tennessee State University said it fired a staff member who made “inappropriate and callous comments on social media.”
Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn had called for the removal of MTSU’s assistant dean of students who had posted that they had “ZERO sympathy” after the shooting, although it is not clear if the assistant dean was the person who was fired. Blackburn also penned a letter calling for the termination of a Secret Service agent who posted, “If you are Mourning this guy .. delete me. He spewed hate and racism on his show.”
In Florida, a reporter for Floridapolitics.com was suspended after asking Republican Rep. Randy Fine a question about gun control immediately after the shooting, according to the AP. Fine had posted a screenshot of the text exchange on X with the caption, “You don’t hate the media enough.” A sports journalist for Arizona media company PHNX Sports was also fired after conservative activists denounced posts he had made criticizing Kirk’s positions on gun violence and “hateful rhetoric.”
And DC Comics fired one of its comic writers and cancelled their series after the writer had posted comments about the shooting. “Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct,” DC Comics said in a statement to CNN.
Immigration crackdown
The State Department also said it would crack down on non-citizens who have made posts making light of the shooting.
“In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country. I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on Thursday. “Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people.”
Landau said he “will direct consular officials to monitor the comments to this post” for people denouncing examples they have seen.
A State Department spokesperson told ABC News that the Administration “does not believe that the United States should grant visas to persons whose presence in our country does not align with U.S. national security interests.”
It’s the latest effort by the Trump Administration to restrict U.S. immigration on an ideological or political basis as part of a broader crackdown on both legal and illegal immigration. The Administration has this year detained and deported students who expressed pro-Palestinian views, penalized Harvard University over its refusal to comply with a list of demands, rolled out more aggressive restrictions on Chinese students and journalists, enhanced screening of visa applicants’ social media profiles, and introduced more stringent citizenship and visa application criteria to “root out anti-Americanism.”
Meanwhile, the Trump Administration announced in May visa restrictions on foreign nationals who “censor Americans,” including over social media posts.
“Free speech is among the most cherished rights we enjoy as Americans. This right, legally enshrined in our constitution, has set us apart as a beacon of freedom around the world,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement in May about the outward-facing policy. “We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty, especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech.”
