The House of Representatives erupted into chaos as Speaker Mike Johnson attempted to lead a prayer for Charlie Kirk after the father-of-two was shot dead in Utah on Wednesday.
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization that regularly holds events on college campuses nationwide, was shot in the neck at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem and died about two and a half hours later.
His assassination not only devastated many members of Congress who knew the activist personally, but also unleashed sadness, confusion, and anger among lawmakers in the Capitol on both sides of the political spectrum.
‘Political violence must be called out,’ Johnson said in a statement about an hour after the shooting.
‘We need everyone who has a platform to say this loudly and clearly: we can settle disagreements and disputes in a civil manner.’
He then went inside and held a moment of silence for Kirk on the chamber floor as questions swirled about whether the father-of-two was alive or dead.
Following the somber moment of silence, Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., called out to Johnson to hold a moment of prayer for the 31-year-old.
That’s when things got ugly.
Some Democrats, clearly against the request for prayer, began cheering in unison ‘No!’
One unidentified Democrat in the room shouted out something about a school shooting at Evergreen High School, Colorado, on Wednesday, asking why no prayers had been offered for that tragedy, which happened within hours of Kirk’s.
Three people were rushed to hospital in a critical condition after the school shooting.
There were about a dozen Democrats who protested against the prayers for Kirk.
One unidentified Democrat blurted out: ‘Pass some gun laws!’
The liberal lawmakers’ rejection of the prayer immediately enraged Republicans.
‘You f***ing own this!’ screamed Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna.
She accused Democrats earlier in the day of being the origin of the violence against Kirk.
“I am done with the rhetoric this rotten House and corrupt media has caused,” she posted on X shortly after the news of the shooting broke. “Every damn one of you who called us fascists did this.”
Speaker Johnson, frustrated with the screaming across both aisles, bashed his gavel and used his microphone to demand order in the House.
The speaker quickly got both parties to settle down.
Before he entered the House floor, Johnson noted how he was close with Kirk – a figure who has been ever-present in conservative circles since TPUSA’s founding in 2012.
‘It’s devastating news,’ Johnson told reporters before the moment of silence. ‘The idea that political violence has taken one of the strongest voices on the conservative side is a great heartbreak.’
‘Charlie was a close friend of mine and a confidant, and he will be sorely missed, and we need every political leader to decry the violence and to do it loudly. The problem is in the human heart, and it’s gotten out of hand.’
Other lawmakers shared their devastation with the Daily Mail.
‘I lost a friend today,’ House Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., told the Daily Mail.
Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s such a horrendous and just horrific incident to watch. My thoughts and prayers are obviously with him and his family.’
California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna stated: ‘Political Violence is no place in America. I’m saddened, and we need to do better as citizens of this country, the hate and anger that has taken over.’
