The sudden dismissal of MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd marks a rare moment of accountability at the network, coming hours after his on-air suggestion that conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk bore responsibility for his own assassination. Sources close to the matter confirm that Dowd’s contract has been terminated effective immediately, following a backlash that exposed the raw edges of partisan commentary in the wake of a national tragedy.
Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA and a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, was assassinated on a Utah college campus Wednesday. The incident sent shockwaves through conservative circles, with swift condemnations from leaders across the spectrum decrying the violence. Yet during MSNBC’s breaking news coverage, Dowd veered into territory that many viewed as outright victim-blaming, linking Kirk’s conservative stances directly to the attack that claimed his life.
Appearing alongside host Katy Tur, Dowd wasted little time in framing the shooting as a predictable outcome of Kirk’s public persona. “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,” Dowd described Kirk.
He then laid out a causal chain that placed the blame squarely on the victim: “And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
This wasn’t abstract philosophy; Dowd was implying that Kirk’s sharp critiques of progressive policies and cultural shifts had somehow invited the bullet.
Elaborating further, Dowd painted a picture of inevitable retribution in America’s polarized landscape. “I think that’s the environment we’re in, that the people just — 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’re in.”
Salt Lake FBI says the weapon found in the woods was an M98 Mauser 30.06.
I know of no way to breakdown that weapon so it fits in a backpack, and if the video of him jumping down from the school building after the shooting is legit, he wasn’t carrying an M98.
Two people were arrested immediately after the shooting. Some social media reports said they confessed. Is that true? Those individuals have since been released.
Social Media Reports also indicate a jet took of from a local airport near the school and turned off its transponder, sometime after the shooting.
Still waiting to hear how all of the above makes sense.
cancel msnbc ‘s fcc license! put an end to misinformation!