Florida Republican asks constituents for tips on those celebrating Kirk's death
A Republican congressman from Florida urged constituents on Sunday to report people they see expressing glee or talking dismissively about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
"Those celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk must be thrown out of civil society," Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) wrote in a post on the social platform X. "I will demand their firing, defunding, and license revocation."
"These monsters want a fight? Congratulations; they got one," Fine added.
The suspect in the fatal shooting of Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University last week remains in custody. Authorities have said Tyler Robinson, 22, implied involvement in the slaying to a family member and the message was relayed to law enforcement.
It's unusual for a member of Congress to call for a sweeping reporting and damnation of constituents based on political disagreements, but Kirk's death has ignited a fierce protective push from prominent Republicans.
Dozens of people not directly linked to the assassination have faced backlash and, in some cases, lost their jobs over comments they have made about Kirk's political beliefs following his death. Kirk, a 31-year-old husband and father of two, was a key ally of President Trump and his administration and frequently advocated conservative positions on LGBTQ rights, immigrants and racial politics.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent a warning last week to members of the military and the Pentagon's civilian workforce that comments mocking Kirk's assassination were being tracked.
"Completely unacceptable," Hegseth wrote Thursday on social media.
Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah said Monday she was fired over social media posts related to the Kirk shooting.
“As a columnist, I used my voice to defend freedom and democracy, challenge power and reflect on culture and politics with honesty and conviction,” Attiah wrote in a post on Substack. “Now, I am the one being silenced — for doing my job.”