Former Vice President Mike Pence is urging Americans to focus on justice and civility in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
In an interview with CNBC on Thursday, Pence said the suspect should be “brought to justice” but cautioned against turning the tragedy into a political trial of the country itself. “Charlie Kirk was a champion of the First Amendment, a champion of free and open debate. He ultimately died defending it,” Pence said. “Democracy depends on heavy doses of civility, and I think that should be his legacy.”
The aftermath of Kirk’s death has ignited heated fallout online, with several individuals — including Pentagon employees — facing firings and suspensions for mocking the incident. Disney also pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show after he made comments conservatives slammed as insensitive, with Pence noting that while free speech must be protected, private employers have the right to act. “That’s how a private marketplace works,” he said.
Pence, who tied current tensions to past unrest like the 2020 protests in Minnesota, argued the U.S. faces a moral crisis rather than a political one. “We should follow the facts, and resist putting America on trial every time evil claims the heart of someone and they do violence against one of our countrymen,” he said.
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