Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, repeated claims made by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., portraying the late Charlie Kirk as racist and hostile toward people of color on the same day as his memorial service, which reportedly drew more than 200,000 attendees.<\/p>\n
Crockett was among 58 Democrats who voted earlier this week against a House resolution honoring Kirk\u2019s life and legacy. Opponents of the resolution have cited brief, edited clips of Kirk\u2019s past remarks as justification for their votes.<\/p>\n
Examples include a misrepresentation that Kirk questioned the intelligence of Black women, a selectively edited clip suggesting he endorsed gun deaths, and misleading quotes about religion. Conservative activists, including Amir Odom, have publicly debunked the claims, but they continue to be circulated by Kirk\u2019s critics in Congress.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, meanwhile, you obviously feel very strongly about the rhetoric that Charlie Kirk used that you find objectionable and also from others in the MAGA movement. As the memorial service for him is going to happen later today, there is a debate over heated rhetoric on all sides,\u201d CNN\u2019s Dana Bash said to the congresswoman on Sunday\u2019s edition of \u201cState of the Union.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s heated or not, the fact is Charlie Kirk should still be here. It should not have been that there was political violence that resulted because of the words that were coming out of his mouth, just like plenty of MAGA hates when I mentioned white supremacy, which kind of tells you where MAGA stands,\u201d Crockett responded.<\/p>\n
Bash then asked the congresswoman about a number of her own inflammatory statements, including ones in which she described President Trump as an \u201cenemy\u201d of the United States and compared him with Adolf Hitler.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut do you have a responsibility as an elected official not to raise the temperature, but rather lower the temperature, particularly when there are people out there who listen to elected officials all over the place who are not well, who use that as a way to instigate the political violence that you are calling out?\u201d Bash followed up.<\/p>\n
Crockett \u2014 who has not criticized the Biden administration\u2019s handling of social media censorship or its prosecution of an individual for posting a meme \u2014 declined to soften her rhetoric, instead reiterating comparisons between Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler over what she described as \u201cchilling speech\u201d and \u201cconsolidating power.\u201d<\/p>\n