US Vice-President JD Vance has endorsed a mass 'doxing' campaign aimed at tracking down and harassing individuals perceived to have insufficiently mourned the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Speaking on Kirk's podcast on Monday, Vance urged listeners to 'call out' anyone celebrating the murder and even suggested contacting their employers.
An anonymous website, originally named 'Expose Charlie’s Murderers' and later rebranded as the 'Charlie Kirk Data Foundation', has collected over 63,000 submissions reporting anti-Kirk 'political extremism'. The group has previously claimed it was targeted by hackers and 'leftist attacks', and its website was down on Tuesday. Numerous workers, including college staff and an airline pilot, have reportedly been fired over their comments on Kirk's death.
Vance and other Trump allies have linked Kirk's killing—without evidence—to a coordinated left-wing 'terror' movement funded by progressive charities, sparking fears of a crackdown on free speech. In the podcast, Vance stated the administration would 'work to dismantle the institutions that promote violence and terrorism in our own country'. Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff, also vowed to use federal resources to destroy what he called a 'vast domestic terrorist network' blamed for the killing.
Republican-controlled states including Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas have launched investigations into teachers for alleged inappropriate statements after the assassination. The US military has invited public reports of those who 'celebrate or mock' the killing and has removed some troops for their comments. A Wisconsin school district received over 800 messages after a conservative influencer mistakenly identified a principal as celebrating Kirk's death.
Critics have drawn parallels between the crackdown and McCarthyism. Adam Goldstein of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said the government involvement 'inches this closer to looking like McCarthyism', calling it 'not a shining moment for free expression'. The political leanings of Kirk's shooter remain unclear, and recent US political violence has targeted both Democrats and Republicans.
