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Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., said the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a “watershed moment,” stressing that Americans should be able to have political disagreements without engaging in violence.
Zinke made the comments on Friday during an appearance on NewsNation’s show “The Hill,” when he cited earlier remarks by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox as he expressed disappointment that differences in political viewpoints have led to violent attacks.
“We should look and reflect,” Zinke said on Friday. “This is, you know, as the governor pointed out, a watershed moment. So, the watershed moment depends on what this country does.”
“Are we going to continue this?” the congressman continued. “Are we going to continue to not be able to have dialogue and talk to your neighbor?”
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Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated by a gunman on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition before he was later pronounced dead.
The alleged gunman was identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, whose family persuaded him to turn himself in after a multi-day manhunt.
During a news conference on Friday, Cox called for civility and for people on both sides of the political aisle to de-escalate and to step away from political frustrations and “choose a different path.”
“This is our moment: Do we escalate, or do we find an off-ramp? It’s a choice,” Cox said.
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“For the last 48 hours, I have been as angry as I have ever been, as sad as I have ever been … and as anger pushed me to the brink, it was actually Charlie’s words that pushed me back. Charlie said, ‘When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence,'” Cox added.
Zinke similarly urged people to engage in political dialogue without turning to violence. He also said statements he has seen on social media were “disheartening” after recent instances of political violence this year.
“You see, you know, an assassination attempt,” Zinke said on Friday. “You see a political assassination in Minnesota. You see one with Charlie Kirk. You know a father. You know a great patriot, a loving husband. You know, assassinated. And ironically, his assassination was over his message, which was, ‘Let’s have a dialogue. Let’s talk.'”
“In our country, the strength is that, you know, we may agree or disagree, but disagreement should never result in violence,” he continued.
Zinke referenced an incident in June for which Vance Boelter was charged with killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, her husband, Mark, and their dog at their home in Minneapolis.
Boelter was also charged with shooting Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, and for attempting to shoot their daughter, Hope.
Other acts of political violence in recent years include President Donald Trump surviving assassination attempts last year and Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., being attacked with a hammer in 2022.
Zinke’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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