A friend of Charlie Kirk released more text messages from a leaked group chat where the Turning Point leader raged about ‘bullying’ Jewish donors.
Prior to his death, Kirk fumed in a group chat that he was considering leaving the ‘pro-Israel cause’ because Jewish donors were pulling funding over his links to Tucker Carlson . The text messages were leaked by Candace Owens early this week, with Turning Point spokesman Andrew Kolvet later confirming the authenticity of the screenshots.
Josh Hammer (pictured), a columnist and senior-editor-at-large for Newsweek, released new screenshots that he claims show Kirk ‘remained a true friend of the Jewish people and the Jewish state to the very end.’ Hammer, who was a member of the group chat where Kirk made his controversial comments about Israel, claims Kirk was ‘blowing off steam in a private group chat setting.’ Hours after Kirk sent those messages he joined a Zoom call seeking advice on how to promote Israel on college campuses with Gen Z students.
‘Thank you for your help today guys!’ Kirk sent to the group members, some of whom are pro-Israel. Hammer claims the text messages were sent one day before Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University. ‘The final-ever messages Charlie sent in this WhatsApp chat, which were delivered hours after the deeply out-of-context screenshots that the aforementioned lunatic and others have been discussing this week, make clear that Charlie was deeply grateful for our help,’ Hammer wrote in a post on X. ‘After our call, he felt more confident and reassured that he could make the case for the Jewish people and for Israel on college campuses.’
Hammer has previously claimed that Kirk’s support for Israel had not wavered before his death. After Owens released the text exchange showing Kirk threatening to leave the pro-Israel cause, Hammer received criticism from right-wing users online. ‘These are literally Charlie’s final messages in that WhatsApp chat,’ Hammer noted. ‘Emotions can run high at times, but Charlie Kirk remained a true friend of the Jewish people and the Jewish state to the very end.’
In the initial leaked text messages, Kirk privately complained that a Jewish donor had withdrawn a $2 million investment into the organization because he refused to disinvite Carlson from the upcoming AmericaFest event. ‘Just lost another huge Jewish donor,’ Kirk wrote. ‘$2 million a year because we won’t cancel Tucker. I’m thinking of inviting Candace. Jewish donors play into all the stereotypes. I cannot and will not be bullied like this.’ Kirk concludes: ‘Leaving me no choice but to leave the pro Israel cause.’
Days after Kirk was murdered, Carlson told his audience that the deceased Turning Point leader disliked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ‘He did not like Bibi Netanyahu and he said that to me many times and he said to people around him many times. He felt that Bibi Netanyahu was a very destructive force,’ Carlson said.
Carlson added that Kirk’s criticism of Netanyahu centered around the Turning Point leader’s belief that the United States was being used to fight wars on behalf of Israel. The former Fox News host added that ‘there was a small, very intense group who tormented Charlie Kirk until the day he died.’
Despite the bombshell text message, Kirk throughout his life remained one of the most pro-Israel voices in Evangelical conservative movement in the Untied States.
The Daily Mail reached out to Owens for a response to latest text messages. A spokesman referred the Daily Mail to public statements made by Owens on the topic. Kirk often traveled to Israel for religious and political events years prior to his death. Moreover, he first met his wife Erika in Israel before their romance began.
