WASHINGTON — Nearly 60 House Democrats on Friday voted down a resolution honoring the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk — including “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who accused the slain conservative activist of being a “bigot.”
Four of the Dems who voted “nay” hail from New York — AOC, Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, and Nydia Velazquez — and three represent New Jersey: Reps. Robert Menendez, Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver.
The resolution condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the assassination of the Turning Point USA co-founder and commended law enforcement for arresting and charging Kirk’s alleged killer.
It further expressed condolences to his wife, Erika Kirk, and their two young children and celebrated Charlie’s “steadfast dedication to the Constitution, civil discourse, and Biblical truth” that “inspired a generation to cherish and defend the blessings of liberty” and asked Americans “to reject political violence, recommit to respectful debate, uphold American values, and respect one another as fellow Americans.”
Another 38 Democrats voted “present” — including city lawmakers Dan Goldman and Grance Meng — and 22 did not vote, with South Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres and Westchester lawmaker George Latimer among that number.
The resolution passed 310-58, with 215 Republicans and 95 Democrats in support.
Here’s the latest on the Charlie Kirk shooting in Utah
- Police identified Tyler Robinson, 22, as the alleged assassin who fatally shot Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
- Robinson was charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice.
- Law enforcement confirmed that Robinson was living with a transgender roommate, and communications between the two helping the feds catch the alleged assassin.
- Kirk, the 31-year-old Turning Point USA creator, was attending an event on his American Comeback Tour when he was fatally shot in the neck by a single shot.
- President Trump was among many who have called for the assassin to receive the death penalty.
- Kirk’s body was brought to Arizona from Utah on Air Force Two, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance, and taken to Phoenix’s Hansen Mortuary Chapel.
- Kirk’s funeral, which President Trump has promised to attend, is scheduled for Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.
- Kirk, a rising MAGA star, is survived by his wife and two young children.
In a floor speech before the vote, Ocasio-Cortez called the resolution “reckless” and said it was being considered “on a purely partisan basis.”
“The majority proceeded with a resolution that brings great pain to the millions of Americans who endured segregation, Jim Crow and the legacy of bigotry,” she said.
The Bronx and Queens Democrat went on to quote some of Kirk’s inflammatory comments about the Civil Rights Act being “a mistake,” that the deranged man who attacked then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, with a hammer was a “patriot,” and about how “Jews control … not just the colleges; it’s the nonprofits, it’s the movies, it’s Hollywood, it’s all of it.”
“We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was,” AOC said, claiming his “rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant, uneducated and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans.”
Kirk defended or qualified many of those provocative remarks, arguing that civil rights has led to “permanent DEI-type bureaucracy” and that Paul Pelosi’s attack was “awful” and “not right.”
Prominent Jewish Americans — as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — expressed condolences after the TPUSA co-founder’s death and said he was a defender of the Jewish people and the state of Israel.
Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) exploded on X during AOC’s speech that she was “trashing Charlie Kirk.”
“She is lying about him and again repeating the same vile garbage at the same time claiming to pray for his family and denouncing his assassination,” Greene said. “There is no way forward with these people.”
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
Thanks for signing up!
“He wasn’t even buried yet,” added the popular right-wing X account Libs of TikTok. “Absolutely disgusting and evil.”
“AOC’s speech opposing a resolution honoring Charlie Kirk is a retroactive justification for his murder even while purporting to condemn it,” chimed in Breitbart News senior editor-at-large Joel Pollak. “This is why Americans are divided and this is the hatred that must be addressed with urgency. It drives everything.”
In a subsequent campaign email, first reported by Business Insider, but notably lacking a donation link, Ocasio-Cortez told her supporters: “We can condemn his horrific assassination and the scourge of political violence without uplifting these ideas.”
Laura Loomer, an influential right-wing activist who has close ties to the White House, highlighted how the campaign message coincided with renewed reports of AOC’s rumored bid for senator or president in 2028.
