The anguished calls for retribution have intensified in the week since Charlie Kirk’s assassination, with prominent conservatives waging a campaign to encourage public shaming, firings and the threat of prosecution for those who speak ill of him.
Yet, a few influential supporters of Mr. Kirk are now warning that attacks from the right on political expression could tarnish the legacy of the combative right-wing activist, who was seen as a champion of free speech by his legions of followers.
Tucker Carlson, the conservative writer and podcaster, told listeners this week that Mr. Kirk never would have wanted his death to be used as a pretext for a crackdown on speech.
“You hope that a year from now the turmoil we’re seeing in the aftermath of his murder won’t be leveraged to bring hate speech laws to this country,” said Mr. Carlson, who himself was dropped from Fox News in 2023 after revelations that he had made a comment implying white superiority in a text message.
“If that does happen, there is never a more justified moment for civil disobedience than that. Ever,” Mr. Carlson added.
His words of caution were the latest indication that a small but growing group of media and political figures on the right have been troubled by recent calls to punish and prosecute those who malign Mr. Kirk.
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