WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee called Tuesday for lawmakers “to bring down the temperature” following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“I came of age in the 1960s, we experienced a number of horrific assassinations — including President John Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) intoned in his opening remarks.
“We’re going through a similar period of division and political violence,” the 80-year-old went on. “All of us in public life, on both sides of the aisle, have a responsibility to bring down the temperature and unite the American people.
“Let’s be clear: Republicans are not Nazis, and Democrats are not evil,” Durbin added.
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed while speaking Sept. 10 during an event at Utah Valley University. Authorities have arrested Tyler Robinson, 22, and accused him of murdering the Turning Point USA co-founder with a single rifle shot.
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Robinson had espoused a “leftist ideology” despite coming from a conservative family, according to Utah GOP Gov. Spencer Cox, who claimed Sunday that the suspect has not been cooperating with authorities.
Conservative critics — including President Trump and Vice President JD Vance — have argued following Kirk’s death that the recent spike in political violence comes from liberals and progressives.
“While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far-Left,” Vance declared Monday while guest-hosting Kirk’s eponymous program.
Both Vance and White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller vowed to crack down on lefty groups they claimed are encouraging violence, though neither name-dropped any specific organization.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Congress are considering legislation to increase funding for enhanced security for themselves and other key government officials.
During Tuesday’s hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel, Durbin — who has opted not to seek another term next year — scolded the witness for his handling of the investigation into Kirk’s assassination.
“At critical stages of an investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job,” said the Democrat, noting that Patel had twice announced on social media that a suspect was in custody — only for each to be released — before Robinson turned himself in.
Durbin also bashed Patel as “arguably the most partisan FBI director ever” and pressed him over the Jeffrey Epstein case.
“The DOJ and FBI released an unsigned memorandum stating there was no incriminating client list. Why was this July 7th memorandum unsigned?” the senator asked.
“Would you have preferred I used autopen?” Patel shot back, noting that the memo — which also concluded that Epstein, 66, had killed himself while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019 — bore the insignia of both the FBI and the Justice Department.
