Voting to honor Charlie Kirk and the ongoing Genocide in Gaza, Rep. Scholten demonstrates exactly what she stands for

Yesterday, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution with the title, Honoring the life and legacy of Charles “Charlie” James Kirk.

House Resolution 719 was adopted by a vote of 310-58. Michigan Representatives Shri Thanedar and Rashida Tlaib voted against the resolution, but the rest of the Democratic Representatives joined their GOP colleagues to vote in favor of it.

Rep. Hillary Scholten voted fo the resolution and even released the statement here above. Scholten’s statement is misleading and instructive, so let’s take a look at what she is claiming in that statement.

First, Rep. Scholten says she voted for the resolution in order to “condemn political violence and the killing of Charlie Kirk, and to honor his family.” Taking this position is weak, since it is merely a political move to position Representative Scholten in such a way as to claim that she does not support political violence. Rep. Scholten wants to get re-elected, so she wants to appear as moderate as possible to her constituents in the 2026 Election.

Second, Rep. Scholten said that she agreed with every word that was written in the resolution. This means that Scholten agrees with the following:

• Whereas Charles “Charlie” James Kirk, born October 14, 1993, was a courageous American patriot, whose life was tragically and unjustly cut short in an act of political violence on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University;
• Whereas Charlie Kirk was a devoted Christian, who boldly lived out his faith with conviction, courage, and compassion;
• Whereas Charlie Kirk was a dedicated husband to his beloved wife, Erika Kirk, and a loving father to their daughter and son, exemplifying the virtues of faith, fidelity, and fatherhood;
• Whereas Charlie Kirk was a fierce defender of the American founding and its timeless principles of life, liberty, limited government, and individual responsibility;
• Whereas Charlie Kirk, at 18 years old, founded Turning Point USA in 2012, a student movement with the mission to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government”;
• Whereas Charlie Kirk became one of the most prominent voices in America, engaging in respectful, civil discourse across college campuses, media platforms, and national forums, always seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding, and strengthen the Republic;
• Whereas Charlie Kirk personified the values of the First Amendment, exercising his God-given right to speak freely, challenge prevailing narratives, and did so with honor, courage, and respect for his fellow Americans;
• Whereas Charlie Kirk’s commitment to civil discussion and debate stood as a model for young Americans across the political spectrum, and he worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction;
• Whereas the assassination of Charlie Kirk was not only a heinous act of violence, but a sobering reminder of the growing threat posed by political extremism and hatred in our society;
• Whereas such acts of politically motivated violence are antithetical to the principles of a free republic, in which differences of opinion are to be debated—not silenced—with civility, reason, and mutual respect;
• Whereas the rise in targeted violence against individuals for their political beliefs undermines the very fabric of our constitutional democracy and chills the free exchange of ideas essential to a healthy civic society;
• Whereas leaders at every level—government, education, media, and beyond—must stand united in unequivocal condemnation of political violence, regardless of their ideology;
• Whereas the tragic loss of Charlie Kirk must not be allowed to deepen the divides in our Nation, but instead serve as a turning point to recommit ourselves to better angels, and to the timeless American principles of liberty governed by truth and the virtues of peaceful dialogue; and
• Whereas Charlie Kirk would not have us respond to his death with despair, but rather with renewed purpose—to speak truth with courage, to stand firm in faith, to seek unity while standing firm in principle, and to serve as living reminders of the values he championed: faith, family, and freedom: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) condemns in the strongest possible terms the assassination of Charles “Charlie” James Kirk, and all forms of political violence;

(2) commends and honors the dedicated law enforcement and emergency personnel for their tireless efforts in finding the suspect responsible for the assassination of Charlie Kirk and urges the administration of swift justice to the suspect;

(3) extends its deepest condolences and sympathies to Charlie Kirk’s family, including his wife, Erika, and their two young children, and prays for comfort, peace, and healing in this time of unspeakable loss;

(4) honors the life, leadership, and legacy of Charlie Kirk, whose steadfast dedication to the Constitution, civil discourse, and Biblical truth inspired a generation to cherish and defend the blessings of liberty; and

(5) calls upon all Americans—regardless of race, party affiliation, or creed—to reject political violence, recommit to respectful debate, uphold American values, and respect one another as fellow Americans.

As you can see from this resolution, there is so much misinformation about who Charlie Kirk really was and how much he specifically contributed to far right political movements in the US through the work of Turning Point USA, which was referred to by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.

Voting for Genocide while condemning political violence

This resolution to honor the life of Charlie Kirk is riddled with complete lies and so much standard propaganda about what the history of the US government, it would take pages and pages to deconstruct. The one main point that I would make about this resolution is that both the Republican and Democratic Party have engaged in political violence since the founding of their respective parties, especially when looking at the policies they have adopted. Political violence is central to the history of the US, from the genocidal policies imposed on Indigenous people, to chattel slavery, to Jim Crow policies and countless policies since that have primarily benefited those with economic power while punishing the most marginalized communities throughout the country. 

For Rep. Scholten to vote for this resolution is in many ways a vote to whitewash the deeply white supremacist political violence that is part of the very fabric of this country’s 250 year history. I for one am not surprised by Scholten’s vote to honor the life of Charlie Kirk, since she has consistently voted to support the genocide in Gaza, US imperialism and militarism, along with the criminalization of immigrants since she took office in January of 2023.