Political analyst Matthew Dowd was reportedly fired from MSNBC on Wednesday following his “unacceptable” comments about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination, according to Variety.
During coverage of the attack, Dowd suggested on MSNBC’s “Katy Tur Reports” that Kirk’s push of “hate speech” toward certain groups made him an inevitable target. A network source reportedly told Variety that Dowd was let go following the remarks.
Dowd’s removal came just hours after MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler released a statement through the network’s public relations X account.
“During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable. We apologize for his statements, as has he. There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise,” Kutler wrote.
The comment from Dowd came as information was still being released on Kirk’s condition, with initial reports stating he was in critical condition after the shooting. During the segment, Dowd said Kirk had been “one of the most divisive” conservative figures, claiming he was “constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups.”
Kirk, 31, had been speaking with students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when he was shot and killed. The TPUSA founder frequently visited college campuses to debate students on politics, with Utah being his latest stop.
Videos online before Kirk’s debate showed him engaging with the crowd and tossing hats to students. About 20 minutes into his remarks, Kirk was debating a student when a gunshot struck his neck.
A university spokesperson told the Daily Caller the shot came from a building roughly 200 yards away. Security rushed him to a car and transported him to the hospital, where he was initially in stable condition but later died from his injuries.
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and two children.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/MSNBC)
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