It has been claimed that Matthew Dowd, who worked as a political analyst for MSNBC, has been let go from the network due to statements he made in regard to the murder of Charlie Kirk.
On Wednesday, September 10th, Kirk, who was a political analyst on the right side, was shot and killed while attending a campus event at Utah Valley University. At the time, he was thirty-one years old.
Dowd, who was 64 years old at the time, made an appearance on MSNBC Live With Katy Tur after his death. During the show, which was hosted by Katy Tur, she questioned Dowd about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens,” according to Variety.
Dowd responded by saying, “He has consistently been one of the most divisive people, especially among younger generations, in this. He is always kind of pushing this type of hate speech or speech that is directed at specific groups of people.” “And I always come back to the idea that hateful thoughts result in hateful words, which eventually result in hateful actions.” Furthermore, I believe that we are already operating in that kind of atmosphere.
“You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place,” he went to explain. “And that, regrettably, is the environment that we find ourselves in.”
Dowd was terminated from his position, according to a number of different publications, including Deadline, The Wall Street Journal, and Variety.
In an effort to get a statement, PEOPLE has contacted MSNBC.
Dowd’s remarks subsequently incited a wave of indignation on social media, and Rebecca Kutler, who was president of MSNBC at the time, made a public apology to the MSNBC Public Relations X account. He has already issued an apology for his words, and we would want to do the same. Kutler said that there is no room for violence of any kind in America, whether it be of a political nature or not.
Afterward, Dowd sent an apology to his BlueSky account, stating, “My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Charlie Kirk. During a previous appearance on MSNBC, I was requested to provide an answer to a question about the climate in which we now find ourselves. I am sorry for the language that I used and the way that I said it.
Dowd proceeded to say, “I would like to apologize for the way I spoke and the tone of my voice.” I want to make it very clear that it was never my intention for my words to be interpreted as an attempt to place the responsibility for this horrific crime on Kirk. Let us all unite and denounce violence in every form that it may take.
Kirk passed away after he was shot, according to the announcement that President Donald Trump made on Truth Social.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump said in his statement. Charlie had a deeper understanding of the Heart of the Youth than any other person residing in the United States of America, and he had a greater supply of it. He was liked and adored by everyone, including myself, and now he is no longer with us.
Kirk, a television figure on the political right who established the conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA, was in Orem, Utah, at the time that the shooting occurred. It was the first stop of his American Comeback Tour, and he was staffing his iconic “Prove Me Wrong” booth at the time.
During a news conference that took place on Wednesday, officials said that an individual who was considered to be a person of interest had been taken into custody. Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, referred to the shooting as a “political assassination.” He also said that the authorities do not have any evidence “that would lead us to believe there is a second person involved.”
At a later time, Kash Patel, who was the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made an announcement on X, stating that the individual who was being held in custody had been “released after an interrogation by law enforcement.” Patel continued by saying, “Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.”
