Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) voted against a resolution put forth by House Republicans to honor Charlie Kirk and criticized the text, saying it would bring “great pain” to millions of people.
Speaking after her vote, Ocasio-Cortez condemned political violence in all forms, but said the “resolution only underscores the majority’s recklessness by choosing to author this condemnation and honoring on a purely partisan basis, instead of uniting Congress in this tragedy with one of the many bipartisan options to condemn political violence and Kirk’s murder, as we did with the late Melissa Hortman.”
“Instead, 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 today,” she continued.
The resolution, among other things, commemorated Kirk’s “commitment to civil discussion and debate stood as a model for young Americans across the political spectrum, and he worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction.” It passed in the House on Friday by a 310-58 vote with Ocasio-Cortez and dozens of other Democrats voting against it or voting “present.”
“We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was — a man who believed that the Civil Rights Act that granted black Americans the right to vote was a mistake; who, after the violent attack on Paul Pelosi, claimed that ‘some amazing patriot’ should bail out his brutal assailant; and accused Jews of controlling ‘not just the colleges. It’s the nonprofits, it’s the movies, it’s Hollywood, it’s all of it,’” she said.
Ocasio-Cortez said Kirk’s “rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans — far from ‘working tirelessly to promote unity’ as asserted by the majority in this resolution.”
The House unanimously passed a resolution in June condemning the politically motivated killing of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and the attempted killing of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
House Democrats introduced their own resolution in response to Kirk’s death, which condemned “all forms of political violence, including assassination and attempted assassination of public officials, candidates, and public figures, regardless of political party or ideology.” Democrats argued that their resolution gave them an alternative to condemn Kirk’s death without praising his political ideas.
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Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University last week.
“We continue to pray for Mr. Kirk’s family and loved ones in the wake of this terrible act,” Ocasio-Cortez concluded. “I’m thinking especially of his children and his wife, whose grief cannot be measured.”