MSNBC issued an apology over on-air comments made by political analyst Matthew Dowd in the wake of the shooting of influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk, before his death had been confirmed.
“During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable,” read a statement from MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler. “We apologize for his statements, as has he. There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”
Dowd, a long-standing political commentator, who served as the chief strategist for George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign, was asked on-air to talk about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens.”
After emphasizing that there were no details of the shooting at that time, Dowd said of Kirk: “He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive, younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
“And I think that’s the environment we’re in. You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”
Following the on-air commentary, a source at the network has told TIME that Dowd is no longer with MSNBC.
Read More: The Killing of Charlie Kirk and the Political Violence Haunting America
Dowd himself apologized prior to the statement from MSNBC’s president.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Charlie Kirk. On an earlier appearance on MSNBC I was asked a question on the environment we are in. I apologize for my tone and words,” Dowd said via BlueSky. “Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack. Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind.”
Kirk, 31, died on Wednesday after he was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on the first stop of his fall campus tour. The co-founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative non-profit student organization, was surrounded by thousands of attendees when he was struck in the neck.
The manhunt for Kirk’s killer has entered its second day, as police continue searching for a suspect.
A strong ally of President Donald Trump, Kirk played a key role during the 2024 presidential election as he promoted Trump’s campaign and messaging on campuses across the U.S.
“Charlie Kirk is helping. He’s got his army of young people. These are young patriots,” Trump said while speaking at the Turning Point Action Conference in Detroit in June 2024. “We thank you, Charlie.”
It was Trump who announced Kirk’s death on Wednesday. The President praised his work and said “no one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Trump further addressed the incident in a video address, during which he said the shooting is “a dark moment for America” and argued “radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.”
“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis… this kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country and it must stop right now,” said Trump, who also referenced the assassination attempt on his own life that took place during a rally in Butler, Pa., in July 2024.
There has been a rise in political violence in America which has seen people of all political affiliations targeted.
This year alone has seen the residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, set on fire by an arsonist, the fatal shooting of two Democratic Minnesota legislators and their spouses, the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C., a man shouting “free Palestine” tossing Molotov cocktails at a pro-Israeli demonstration in Boulder, Co., and a gunman who allegedly held anti-vaccine views opening fire at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta.
There are now concerns that this latest instance of political violence—the killing of Kirk—could serve as a catalyst for further division and radicalization.
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