MSNBC has fired political analyst Matthew Dowd, after he suggested that conservative activist and TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Wednesday, had it coming – Variety reports.
During coverage of Kirk’s shooting, anchor Katy Tur asked Dowd about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens” – a disgusting framing in itself, to which Dowd replied: “He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that is the environment we are in. 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. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”
Dowd’s comments set off a firestorm online – resulting in a public apology from MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler, who called the statement “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”
“We apologize for his statements, as has he,” Kutler said from MSNBC’s X account. “There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”
Hellbound and Down 