House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Sunday criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments in the wake of the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Omar, who said she was “mortified” at Kirk’s murder in an interview with Zeteo’s Mehdi Hasan on Thursday, called conservatives who blamed the left for the shooting “full of s—.”
“She clearly has no idea what she’s talking about,” Johnson told Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “She has not followed Charlie. She’s playing into this characterization of him that the left has been advancing.”
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during an event on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday. The alleged gunman, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody by the FBI on Thursday evening.
The slaying was condemned by lawmakers across the political spectrum, with many noting the recent wave of political violence in the United States. Omar herself spoke of the “trauma” that assassinations of political figures can have on loved ones.
“It was really mortifying to hear the news, to see the video,” the Minnesota congresswoman told Zeteo. “All I could think about was his wife, his children — that image is going to live forever.”
Omar, however, pushed back on Republican lawmakers who have pointed fingers at left-wing rhetoric in assigning blame for the shooting. The 42-year-old also expressed concerns about her security.
“And, you know, you have people like Trump, who has incited violence against people like me,” Omar said, noting the president’s 2019 comments that she should leave the United States and return to her home country of Somalia. “And so, you know, these people are full of s‑‑‑, and it’s important for us to call them out while we feel anger and sadness.”
President Trump blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s murder in an Oval Office address on Thursday. The president also said the group was standing in the way of the country being unified in an interview with NBC News on Saturday.
According to voter records in Utah, Robinson was not affiliated with a political party. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a press conference on Friday that the alleged shooter became “more political” ahead of the shooting of Kirk. Cox also referenced a recent family dinner where Robinson and a family member spoke of their dislike of the conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder.
Johnson told Fox News that security for House members “is a serious matter” while denouncing Omar’s comments.
“We got to turn the rhetoric down. That is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing, what you just saw in that video right there,” Johnson said of Omar. “And I hope all members of Congress will join us.”
