The assassination of Charlie Kirk has shaken the country and exposed once again how quickly political operatives race to weaponize tragedy for partisan advantage. Conservatives mourn a vibrant leader cut down while too many on the left pivot straight to scoring political points rather than offering sober reflection. The coverage and reactions that followed have laid bare a moral double standard that Americans of conscience should reject.
On CNN, Representative Jasmine Crockett used the solemn moment around Kirk’s funeral proceedings to attack his record and to argue that his rhetoric “specifically targeted people of color,” a claim she repeated while explaining her vote against a resolution honoring him. That kind of grandstanding on the day of a memorial is not grieving—it’s virtue-signaling at its rawest, and it shocked viewers who expected at least basic decency. Americans can and should criticize public figures, but there is a time and place for that, and a funeral is not it.
Scott Jennings’ blunt response on-air—three words that cut through the spin, “Well, she’s lying”—was a righteous and necessary correction that momentarily rescued the conversation from the swamp of cynical political theater. Jennings defended Kirk’s record and reminded viewers that smears tossed on the day of someone’s funeral are malicious and self-serving. Watching a CNN host try to continue with the performance after that exchange only underscored how partisan narrative-management has replaced honest discourse at the networks.
Dave Rubin amplifying the exchange by sharing a direct-message clip was the kind of grassroots media pushback the mainstream refuses to do: it put the raw footage back in public hands so ordinary Americans could see the truth for themselves. Rubin’s platform has become a place where inconvenient facts and honest reactions get airtime when legacy media opts for angle over accuracy. When independent voices force accountability, it reminds the public who the real storytellers are.
This episode is emblematic of a broader pattern: prominent Democrats and their media allies reflexively weaponize rhetoric and then feign moral superiority when conservatives respond. From votes against honoring a fallen public figure to the immediate rush to assign blame, the left’s political instinct is often exploitation rather than empathy. If we want a healthier political culture, we have to call out that hypocrisy loudly and refuse to accept performative outrage as a substitute for leadership.
Make no mistake: everyone who traffics in violent rhetoric or dehumanizing language bears some responsibility for the poisonous atmosphere in our politics, and real accountability is appropriate when those lines are crossed. That said, there is a massive difference between harsh political speech and outright smears delivered in the shadow of a funeral, and daring to note that difference is not cowardice—it’s decency. Americans should demand both that politicians temper their rhetoric and that reporters stop playing favorites when the left errs.
Patriots who love free speech and the rule of law should cheer people like Scott Jennings and Dave Rubin for refusing to let the narrative be stolen by cynical actors. We can grieve, we can debate, and we can demand justice without succumbing to the performative politics that too often define the modern left. Stand firm, speak plainly, and let the cameras and the talking heads know that hardworking Americans see through cheap partisan stunts.
