MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler issued a statement Wednesday on X condemning political analyst Matthew Dowd’s “unacceptable” comments about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination, but did not read it on air.
During coverage of the attack against Kirk, Dowd suggested that Kirk’s “pushing” of “hate speech” toward certain groups made him an inevitable target. As of Wednesday evening, a review of two live TV transcription services showed that MSNBC did not read the apology posted to its public relations 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.
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Statement from MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler: “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…
— MSNBC Public Relations (@MSNBCPR) September 10, 2025
During a segment of MSNBC’s “Katy Tur Reports,” 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.”
“And I always go back to: hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions,” Dowd said. “And I think that’s the environment we’re in. People just, you can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place.”
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 posted online showed Kirk interacting with a large crowd at his booth before a gunshot rang out as he debated a student about mass shooters and transgender ideology.
A university spokesperson told the Daily Caller that the shot came from a building about 200 yards away. Security rushed Kirk to a car and transported him to the hospital, where he was initially in stable condition but later died from his injuries.
He leaves behind his wife Erika Kirk and their two young children.
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