Utah Republican senator faces backlash over post condemning Kirk's killing

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Thu 11 Sep 2025 06.00 EDT
Last modified on Thu 11 Sep 2025 08.53 EDT


The official X account of Mike Lee, a Republican US senator, drew backlash after quickly condemning Wednesday’s killing of influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah – less than three months from when the politician initially responded to the shootings of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers by boosting misinformation about that case.

A post from Lee, who joined the Senate in 2011, denounced Kirk’s murder as “a cowardly act of violence” while hailing the Turning Point USA executive director as an “American patriot” and “inspiration to countless young people”. His post also solicited prayers for the 31-year-old Kirk’s widow, Erika, and their children. “The terrorists will not win,” Lee said shortly after Kirk’s death while speaking at an outdoors gathering on the campus of Utah Valley University had been confirmed. “Charlie will.”

While some of the platform’s users replied positively to the post, many others immediately alluded to how Lee focused on advancing conspiracy theories in the aftermath of the 14 June shootings that killed Minnesota’s house speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, while wounding state senator John Hoffman – her fellow Democrat – as well as his wife, Yvette.

“This is what happens,” Lee wrote in an X post, “When Marxists don’t get their way.” Attached to the post was a picture of the suspect charged in the shooting, Vance Boelter, evidently wearing a latex face mask.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/republican-senator-mike-lee-kirk-shooting-melissa-hortman

[Turbineguy]

1. His family gets the loot.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2025/09/charlie-kirks-net-worth-at-the-time-of-his-death-conservative-activist-left-sizeable-fortune-for-family.html

[IbogaProject]

6. Loot is an appropriate description

[eringer]

2. We Will Soon See How Much Hate Speech Pays

Should be interesting to see how much Charlie made spewing his vitriol. It will all come out when Erika and the kids read the will.

[niyad]

5. According to post 1, about 12 million.

[SergeStorms]

7. Religion and hatred both pay well.

And Charlie covered both bases.

[3Hotdogs]

3. Still, not as profitable as being a pastor.

And pastors can also prey on their flock for sex.

[Historic NY]

4. Ruby red Utah.

[BidenRocks]

8. So many interviews with young people

So many haters embracing this divisive crap!

It proves they are needing hate leaders and groups.

They call it messaging. I call it breaking America.

Always need the other to feel superior. Put down your phone and study American history.

They have youth but no background information besides what is being fed to them. Classes? Let AI do it!

[Turbineguy]

9. It would be a pity if Rupert Murdock did not live to see his work come to fruition.

[moreland01]

10. Erika Kirk

That's an awful lot of Ks in her name.

[Clouds Passing]

12. Good observation

[JoseBalow]

11. Mike Lee is a douchebag