Veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove has denounced efforts by some conservatives to politicise the murder of activist Charlie Kirk, calling the rhetoric “wrong and dangerous.” In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Rove criticised those who claim that an unspecified “they” are responsible for Kirk’s death, arguing such language fuels division.
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University last week. Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with the murder. While charging documents state Robinson acted due to “a belief or perception regarding Charlie Kirk’s political expression,” prosecutors have not provided a specific motive. No evidence suggests anyone else was involved.
President Donald Trump has blamed liberals for the violence, claiming without evidence that “most of the violence” is on the left. Some right-wing figures have echoed this, using vague references to “they” as responsible for Kirk’s death. Rove rejected this, stating: “Charlie Kirk wasn’t killed by ‘them.’ ‘They’ didn’t pull the trigger. One person did.”
Rove, a former deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, emphasised that individuals are not “helpless automatons” and that using Kirk’s murder to justify retaliation against political rivals is an insult to his memory. He concluded: “Violence has no role in our country’s politics. Now or ever.”
