Tulsi Gabbard: Assassin Killed Charlie Kirk to ‘Terrorize Those Who Think Like Charlie into Silence’

An assassin murdered Charlie Kirk in part to “terrorize those who think like Charlie into silence,” Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard said on Thursday, a day after the fatal shooting of the beloved Turning Point USA founder.

In a lengthy social media post, Gabbard described Kirk as “one of a kind” — someone who was “kind, loving, courageous,” and “lived what he preached.” She championed Kirk’s view that all of our differences — whether political, social, or spiritual — should be debated “freely” and “respectfully” — something he did until the day he took his last breath.

“The person who shot Charlie Kirk sought to silence him, using violence to take away his freedom of speech by ending his life and to terrorize those who think like Charlie into silence,” Gabbard wrote, deeming this horrendous action the “very definition of terrorism: an unlawful use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political or ‘religious’ aims.”

She continued:

“Today, on the anniversary of 9/11, we recognize that whether it’s Islamists like al-Qaeda, or the fanatics who try to stop Charlie Kirk and others from speaking the truth by banning them from campuses and ultimately by assassination, the one thing they have in common is that they are so afraid that their arguments, views, and policies will not stand when challenged in free and open debate, that they resort to violence — not only to silence the people they want to shut up but to terrorize everyone else into silence.

Kirk, she continued, stood up to these “fanatics” who want to silence us.

“This assassin killed him to prevent his voice from being heard, prevent him from inspiring others, as he did every day, and to terrorize and intimidate the American people into silence,” she said, noting that she was “sickened, but not surprised” when the likes of MSNBC quickly attempted to justify what happened. She noted that establishment media outlets used similar tactics after the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. Further, she said the 9/11 attackers also used the same justification — that the attack was deserved.

“What they’re really telling us is: shut up, be quiet, or face the consequences,” she said, explaining what all of these horrendous individuals have in common.

“We cannot allow their darkness and evil to perpetuate. Charlie truly loved our country and dedicated his life to protecting our God-given rights. We must honor his life’s work, and the promise of America, by continuing to lift our own voices and defend our God-given freedoms enshrined in our Constitution,” she said, expressing sympathy for Kirk’s wife Erika and their two young children.

“Our nation lost one of our greatest champions of freedom. I pray Charlie is now able to rest in the warm embrace of God’s love. He will be dearly missed,” she added.

Kirk’s shooter is still at large, but recent reports from Steven Crowder and the Wall Street Journal suggest the ammunition found by the alleged assassin’s gun was marked with transgender messages.