Northwest lawmakers denounce political violence, urge ‘a way back’ from the brink after Charlie Kirk assassination

WASHINGTON – The mood at the U.S. Capitol was grim and tense on Thursday, as lawmakers marked the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks a day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah.

Members of both parties from the Northwest were quick to condemn Kirk’s killing and political violence in general on Wednesday, but by the time they returned to the Capitol the next morning, emotions were running high with the killer still at large. In an address from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump said “the radical left” is “directly responsible” for the death of the 31-year-old founder of the youth-oriented political group Turning Point USA.

“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it,” Trump said, referencing the assassination attempt he narrowly survived during the 2024 campaign, attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December.

After beginning his remarks by saying he was “filled with grief and anger” over Kirk’s assassination, Trump cast political violence as a left-wing phenomenon. He didn’t mention any cases of violence targeting Democrats, such as the murder of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman in June, the 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or the arson attack on the home of Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania in April.

In a post on X on Thursday, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. – who denounced Kirk’s killing a day earlier and called political violence “a uniquely dangerous thing” – criticized Trump for stoking anger and using the assassination to crack down on his political enemies, rather than seeking to unify the nation.

“America has to be a place where we settle disagreements with our votes and our voices,” Murray wrote. “Last night, the President chose to divide and incite. It’s difficult to ignore that. Leaders need to bring our country together. There is always a way back. We need to get there together.”

After founding Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was 18 years old, Kirk became one of the most influential right-wing voices in the United States, touring the country to hold public events where he debated progressives and highlighted what he saw as the excesses of a left-wing orthodoxy that dominated college campuses and other elite institutions.

Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, wrote Thursday on X that Kirk’s killing has been deeply painful for a generation of young Republicans who staff congressional offices.

“Those praying in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination should consider extending their prayers to the many young conservatives struggling with the loss,” Baumgartner wrote. “Lots of fear and confusion that a person could be targeted for assassination for simply wanting to have a public conversation about the same policy views and values they also hold. All of us should do want (sic) we can to reach out and interact with these young folks at this difficult time. I’m not sure that folks outside of the conservative ecosystem fully understand what a big deal this is or how much Kirk was admired and influential to so many young folks.”

The reaction to Kirk’s death was in sharp contrast to the somber remembrances of the terrorist attacks that largely united Americans in grief 24 years earlier. Yet, in contrast to the president, other elected officials sought to acknowledge a common experience of trauma and fear that transcends political divisions.

On Thursday, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown ordered all flags at city facilities to be flown at half-staff, following Gov. Bob Ferguson’s statewide directive honoring all victims of political violence.

“Violence has no place in our democracy,” Brown said in a statement that mentioned Kirk as well as Hortman and her husband, who was also killed in the Minnesota attacks. “Spokane sends it deepest sympathies to those impacted and joins the nation in mourning those who have lost their lives in these senseless acts.”