Gov. Glenn Youngkin was in Northern Virginia Thursday for a 9/11 memorial event at the Pentagon and to announce the news of Alexandria-based national security company SPA adding 1,200 jobs, but he also spoke out about the shocking death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed Wednesday while speaking at an event hosted by his nonprofit youth organization Turning Point USA at Utah Valley University. Kirk was a close ally of President Donald Trump and his family. Democratic leaders have condemned the shooting and political violence, but strong reactions on both sides of the aisle highlight the deep political chasm that currently exists in the country.
“The acceptance of murder in order to address political differences, the acceptance of political assassination, illuminates a moral deterioration, and I think that should be a starting wake-up call for all of us,” Youngkin told a group of reporters after the event at SPA.
“There was a dark soul, an evil present yesterday,” he said. Calling Kirk a “voice of conversation,” he said, “As Americans, we can never accept violence as a solution to a disagreement, no less murder or assassination. Therefore, we must stand together in a moment and collectively say ‘no.’”
Youngkin drew comparisons to the way the country came together after the 9/11 attacks 24 years ago.
“We see how our nation came together in a way that at least in my lifetime, I had never seen, nor have I seen again,” he said. “I am hopeful that we can find a moment for us to come together again.”
Feature image by Amy Ayres
