House approves resolution honoring Charlie Kirk with dozens of Democrats opposed

WASHINGTON AP The House overwhelmingly passed a resolution honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Friday but a notable number of Democrats voted against it highlighting the deepening political divide in the wake of his assassination The resolution which praised the life and legacy of Kirk passed the Republican-controlled House with votes in favor While Democrats supported the resolution voted against it and voted present effectively abstaining Republicans had warned ahead of the vote that no one should oppose the measure but plenty of Democrats disclosed they felt Kirk s death had been politicized and the resolution elevated views they disagreed with In the modern day s resolution underscores the majority s recklessness by choosing to author this condemnation and honoring on a purely partisan basis announced Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York a high-profile Democrat who voted against the resolution We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was Speaker Mike Johnson commented there was no partisan language in the resolution and there was no excuse for anyone not to vote in favor of it We are honoring someone who contributed greatly to the free marketplace of ideas and populace discourse and who died in a disgraceful horrific manner Johnson informed reporters The vote capped a week of heightened tensions in Congress and across a nation grappling with Kirk s assassination and the legacy he left behind Multiple on the right have blamed the left for fostering a political weather that led to his death pushing for more than condemnation and allowing little room for criticism of his views In the days since backlash to such criticism has led to firings ranging from teachers to journalists as conservative activists have launched aggressive pressure campaigns No single member of the House Democratic caucus not a single member condones political violence in America House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Friday Still Democrats who voted against the measure were heavily criticized Who could vote against that President Donald Trump declared Friday afternoon about the resolution Earlier this week the House narrowly declined to punish one of its own over commentary in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk s assassination The Republican effort to censure Rep Ilhan Omar came after she criticized Kirk s views of gun ownership and race relations in the aftermath of George Floyd s death in Minneapolis After the vote fell short Trump responded by calling Omar terrible While Friday s resolution aimed to honor Kirk and denounce political violence countless Democrats took issue with its language The text described Kirk the founder of Turning Point USA as someone who was seeking to elevate truth foster understanding and strengthen the Republic and that he stood as a model for young Americans The resolution sparked intense internal debate among Democrats While party leadership ultimately backed it they did not push members to vote a certain way Particular lawmakers saw it as a political trap designed to force them into endorsing Kirk s views This Republican resolution was designed as a political gotcha trying to force every member of Congress to lift up the views of Charlie Kirk rather than completely condemning his assassination explained Washington Rep Pramila Jayapal in a message I cannot do that Democratic Rep Debbie Dingell of Michigan who was among a inadequate in the party to attend a vigil honoring Kirk at the Capitol earlier this week reported she supported the resolution because his horrific killing and this volatile time require all of us to reject violence hate and anger without hesitation Multiple Republicans in Congress are set to passage to Arizona on Sunday for Kirk s funeral Johnson who plans to attend the funeral gave a long tribute on the House floor on Thursday saying the the best way to honor Kirk was to advance the principles that he advanced and to adopt his approach National Republican Campaign Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella reported that Democrats are so consumed by hatred and political violence that they couldn t even bring themselves to encouragement a resolution condemning the assassination of Charlie Kirk