Watch: rhetoric and freedom of expression collide after the assassination of Kirk, the legislators react

In the aftermath of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a debate on political rhetoric and its impact on the recent ways of political violence took the installation of Capitol Hill and across the country.

While the Republicans and Democrats have condemned political violence of all kinds, their opinions vary on the quantity of inflammatory political rhetoric plays a role. Some Republicans have accused the rhetoric of the left of promoting an “culture of assassination” on the left, while the Democrats accused the Republicans of attacks against freedom of expression.

A member of the Congress, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Dn.y., tried to direct the conversation towards the control of firearms as opposed to rhetoric that the cause of the increase in political violence.

“This is not just what happened to Charlie Kirk.

Experts warn the left -wing celebrations of Charlie Kirk’s death report a dangerous change in policy

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., suggested that control of firearms was more to blame than violent rhetoric when it was questioned about the potentially growing “assassination culture” in the United States. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

But the representative of the Firebrand GOP, Nancy Mace, Rs.C., has not chopped words on those who continue to foment hatred for conservatives suffering from inflammatory rhetoric.

“We must shame these people of polished society, shame them with existence. They must be dismissed from their work. They put lives in danger,” said Mace. “They deny that they celebrate the political assassination and the murder of Charlie Kirk, but they are liars. They taste themselves between the teeth.”

The legislators on both sides of the aisle called on the others to “lower the fire” following the assassination of Kirk. Americans from all horizons have faced repercussions on their decision to make fun or to rent the death of Kirk, including Education officials K-12, University professors, health professionals, Political experts, writers and a list of other professionals from various sectors and large companies, such as the law firm Perkins CoieThe company behind the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ and the Office deposit, among others.

The commemorative monuments honoring Charlie Kirk took place across the country and abroad, including in Berlin. Kirk was murdered on September 10, 2025. (Ilkin Eskipehlivan / Anadolu via Getty Images)

After the assassination of Kirk, legislators react to the fatal political climate: “violent words precede violent actions”

Representative Ritchie Torres, DN.Y., said everyone should have “the right to speak freely, if not the American democratic tradition could be threatened.

“Listen, there is a limit to what Congress can do, because, you know, we have the first amendment, which protects all forms of discourse, including the speeches of hatred, but we should have a culture to condemn any rhetoric that glorifies violence. I consider violence as the fall of American democracy,” said Torres. “We must all have the right to speak freely, to think freely, without fear of harassment, intimidation or violence. And once we lose the ability to speak freely in the public square, then democracy as we know, it has ended.”

Representative Ritchie Torres, DN.Y. said that political violence could become “the fall of American democracy”. (Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Representative Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., Suggested that possible remedies could take to help reduce inflammatory rhetoric and its potential impact on violence.

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“You must examine the role played by social media companies by allowing violent rhetoric to be on their sites. And what can we do for the police to see these attacks earlier?” Swalwell asked. “I wait and I am ready to learn, where there are signs that have been missed by the police. Because if this is the case, we must do better, because the temperature only increases.”