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Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are changing their behavior after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead Wednesday in the latest instance of political violence in the US.
Kirk was not an elected official and authorities have yet to identify his shooter or the motive behind the attack. Still, Republican and Democratic members of Congress said they would take new steps to protect their personal safety in the wake of the shooting, including postponing some events and pivoting away from holding others outside.
“People are scared to death in this building,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., who added that police are outside his house “24 hours a day” since a constituent tried to kill him last year. “Not many of them will say it publicly, but they’re running to [House Speaker Mike Johnson] talking about security.”
“Everyone here’s got families, and we’re away from them half the time, so people are very worried,” Moskowitz said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said she postponed a rally that was supposed to take place in Raleigh, N.C., this weekend. And Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said she wouldn’t hold outdoor events “anytime soon.” Kirk was shot while speaking outdoors at Utah Valley University, and investigators believe the suspect fired from a roof.
Mace also said she plans to carry a gun “at all times” and is weighing whether to stop driving her own car. She said police are stationed outside her offices in South Carolina and that she requested “more security protocols and advice” from the House Sergeant at Arms for her office in Washington.
“Any elected official across the country, if you are vocal, your life is at risk,” Mace said. “I have to deal with children who think they’re going to be murdered at school; I have to deal with employees right now who are afraid to come to work.”
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Startled congressional staffers received an ominous message about an “incident” at Democratic National Committee headquarters on Thursday. It ended up being a bomb threat that Capitol Police found not credible, but it still jolted Capitol Hill on a day when many members and staff were thinking of Kirk’s death or the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Lawmakers were already on edge following attacks on a range of political figures, including Minnesota state lawmakers, Paul Pelosi, and President Donald Trump. Many also experienced trauma stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.
The House made some changes earlier this year, including giving members more money to spend on personal security. But it’s “not enough,” Mace argued.
One senator said there are talks about giving all senators security details. Johnson said that’s “not a possibility in the House,” where he added doing so would “cost billions,” so leaders are exploring different solutions.
“There were additional resources added after Jan. 6 and I believe that, frankly, member security has not had a change,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “So it’s really much deeper: It’s, ‘How do we think about security in a digital era, in a stochastic-threat environment?’”
In the meantime, almost all members are calling on their colleagues to speak more kindly about one another.
“This rhetoric is out of control,” Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., told Semafor. “I’m not going to be disrespectful to the colleagues that are here from the other side of the aisle — and you hear that now, but there’s not enough people practicing that.”
The View From the white house
At the White House, the mood is grim: Kirk was a close friend to many working inside the administration, with some aides getting their start at his organization, Turning Point USA. He formed relationships with top officials, too, like Vice President JD Vance, who is flying to Utah to retrieve Kirk on Thursday and plans to bring him back to Arizona on Air Force Two, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to Semafor.
Administration officials across the government are shaken by the attack. While many are nervous about their safety, several say Kirk’s death means they must speak louder about their beliefs. It’s not clear yet whether Trump and Vance will be surrounded by increased security; then-candidate Trump’s own security was boosted after the first attempt on his life in 2024. (Trump still plans to attend a Yankees game in New York this evening.)
Room for Disagreement
Some Republicans said Thursday they don’t feel a need to make any changes after Kirk’s death. That includes Justice, who said “doing what I think is right” for constituents is “going to be good enough.”
“It’s important that I continue to go out and do what I would normally do,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said. “You don’t want to give into a culture of fear and withdraw” when “what Charlie was doing yesterday is exactly what should happen.”
Notable
- The Wall Street Journal reports that investigators found ammunition engraved with “expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology” inside the gun they believed was used to shoot Kirk.
- Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told NBC News congressional leaders are “woefully unprepared” because they live in a “security bubble.”
Burgess Everett contributed reporting.