The House of Representatives on Friday passed a resolution honoring Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated earlier this month, but not without opposition from several Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

The resolution described Kirk as a “courageous American patriot” and a “devoted Christian.”

It passed despite resistance from within the Democratic caucus, with 58 Democrats voting against it, 38 voting present, and 22 not voting, according to Breitbart News.

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Before casting her vote, Ocasio-Cortez delivered remarks rejecting the measure.

While she condemned the “horrific and vile attack” that killed Kirk, she argued that the resolution was “reckless” and accused Republicans of exploiting the tragedy.

“Instead of uniting Congress in this tragedy with one of the many bipartisan options to condemn political violence and Kirk’s murder, as we did with the late Melissa Hortman, the majority proceeded with a resolution that brings great pain to the millions of Americans who endured segregation, Jim Crow, and the legacy of bigotry today,” she said.

Earlier this year, the House voted 424-0 to pass a resolution condemning the assassinations of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, and the attempted assassinations of State Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife.

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The suspect in those attacks, Vance Boelter, was a political appointee of Gov. Tim Walz (D) and left anti-Trump “No Kings” fliers behind at the scene before being captured.

In her Friday remarks, Ocasio-Cortez characterized Kirk’s views as harmful, citing selected comments about the Civil Rights Act, the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi, and Jewish donors.

“We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was,” she said.

“His rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant, uneducated, and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans – far from the ‘working tirelessly to promote unity’ asserted by the majority in this resolution.”

JUST IN: Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the resolution to honor Charlie Kirk’s life brings “great pain” to millions of Americans.

She and 57 other House Democrats voted against the simple resolution to honor Kirk’s life.

Despicable. pic.twitter.com/ABWGxH2iXm

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 19, 2025

Kirk, during Turning Point USA’s America Fest in December 2023, had criticized the Civil Rights Act of 1964, calling it a “huge mistake.”

A Wired reporter covering the event noted that Kirk was specifically criticizing the creation of permanent bureaucracies he said undermined the First Amendment, not voting rights.

“The courts have been really weak on this. Federal courts just yield to the Civil Rights Act as if it’s the actual American Constitution,” Kirk said at the time.

Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that Kirk endorsed the attack on Paul Pelosi was also disputed by his full remarks.

Speaking on his show in 2022, Kirk said, “Why is the Republican Party, why is the conservative movement to blame for gay, schizophrenic nudists that are hemp jewelry-makers breaking into somebody’s home, or maybe not breaking into somebody’s home? Why are we to blame for that exactly?”

He went on to describe the attack as “awful” and “not right,” after suggesting someone might bail out the suspect to ask questions.

Charlie Kirk calls for his audience to post bail for Pelosi attacker: “If some amazing patriot out there in San Francisco or the Bay Area wants to really be a midterm hero, someone should go and bail this guy out…Bail him out and then go ask him some questions” pic.twitter.com/EkMqFIYUn1

— Jason S. Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) October 31, 2022

The claim that Kirk accused Jews of controlling education and media originated from a Media Matters report in 2023.

In fact, Kirk criticized “secular Jewish donors” for funding policies he said contributed to antisemitism following the Hamas attack on Israel.

“Jewish donors have a lot of explaining to do,” Kirk said at the time.

“This is a beast created by secular Jews. And now it’s coming for Jews.”

In addition to her criticism of Kirk, Ocasio-Cortez alleged that Republicans and the Trump administration were attempting to “weaponize” his death to restrict speech.

“All in the name of Charlie Kirk, President Trump and the FCC are now cynically threatening to shut down ABC and any outlets who give airtime to the administration’s political critics,” she said, referencing FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s comments about Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks following Kirk’s death.

Carr had stated that Kimmel’s claim linking Kirk’s assassination to conservatives could be viewed as an intentional effort to mislead the public.

Shortly after those remarks, ABC, Disney, and Nexstar announced that Kimmel’s show would be pulled indefinitely.

Kirk’s suspected killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, admitted in a message to his partner that he shot Kirk because he had “enough of his hatred.”

Prosecutors charged Robinson with murder earlier this week.

Ocasio-Cortez concluded her remarks by expressing condolences to Kirk’s family.

“We continue to pray for Mr. Kirk’s family and loved ones in the wake of this terrible act. I am thinking especially of his children and his wife, whose grief cannot be measured,” she said.