At a closed-door meeting Thursday morning, multiple House Democrats raised the fear that lawmakers who vote against a resolution honoring Charlie Kirk could be subjected to threats or even violence, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: It was a tense and emotional meeting — some members left visibly upset — that added fuel to existing concerns about the potentially dire political ramifications of the vote.
- “That was the ugliest meeting I’ve ever seen," said a senior House Democrat, who, like others quoted in this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer sensitive details of a private discussion.
- The lawmaker said they saw frustration from members "that never get mad."
- "Members are on edge in this moment," another senior House Democrat concurred.
What we're hearing: Several House Democrats stood up to voice concerns about the possibility of violence, with some arguing that, if the party is divided, members who vote against the resolution may be targeted.
- One member "point blank" expressed the view that there could be violent repercussions "because of our not being together," according to the senior House Democrat, who paraphrased the argument as: "If everybody's not a 'yes', the 'no's' will get targeted."
- A third House Democrat said the prospect of violence is a "huge concern" among their colleagues. "That was the sentiment from multiple people" in the meeting, said a fourth.
- "I think there's going to be threats of violence towards members who oppose it," said a fifth House Democrat, expressing their own view.
State of play: The House is set to vote Thursday on the five-page resolution that was introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and is co-sponsored by 165 House Republicans.
- In addition to condemning Kirk's assassination, the measure calls the slain conservative activist a "courageous American patriot" who "worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction."
- "Charlie Kirk personified the values of the First Amendment, exercising his God-given right to speak freely, challenge prevailing narratives, and did so with honor, courage, and respect for his fellow Americans," it says.
Driving the news: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said at the Thursday morning meeting that his leadership team will vote for the resolution, according to a half dozen lawmakers and aides familiar with his remarks.
- But leadership is not formally whipping the vote, sources said — much to the frustration of some members.
- According to a sixth House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of a sensitive discussion, members were urged not to "judge other members by their vote on the resolution."
- "It's a tough decision for everybody. I think the people want some more direction," a seventh House Democrat told Axios
Zoom in: Multiple lawmakers departing the meeting also expressed the view that Republicans packed the resolution with praise for Kirk to make it politically harder for Democrats to vote for it.
- The fifth lawmaker who spoke anonymously said they are personally undecided on the vote: "It's a tough one. But they wrote it that way on purpose."
- "Why give them the win? I mean, [the resolution is] absurd, but ... it's a trap for us," said an eighth House Democrat.
What they're saying: Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), a progressive, told Axios coming out of the meeting that she plans to vote for the resolution because "we need to condemn political violence."
- "It's a very painful pill to swallow for all of those communities that he has attacked over the years," she added.
- "If Republicans were sincere about condemning political violence, they would bring a resolution that could get full bipartisan support ... but I'm not taking the bait."
Yes, but: Others emerged from the meeting saying they were still not sure how they planned to vote on the measure.
- "I'm not commenting on that right now," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told Axios when asked how she will vote.
- Said the fifth House Democrat who spoke anonymously: "It's interesting, people ask me what the hardest votes are, it's always the resolutions that don't really do anything."
- "You're just trying to pick what group you're going to piss off or what value you're going to align with the most," the lawmaker said. "These resolutions, they're meant to divide us."
The other side: "God forbid anything happens to a left-wing commentator, I would not be ... calling a resolution condemning his murder and assassination a partisan trap," said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who was close to Kirk.
- Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), another friend of Kirk's, told Axios: "A vote for the Charlie Kirk resolution is a vote to condemn murder. If your politics make this a hard choice, your politics are broken."
- Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisc.) argued that Democrats' fears of violence — which have been raised multiple times in the past — are "disingenuous," arguing that the inflammatory rhetoric is coming from the left.
What to watch: The National Republican Congressional Committee is telegraphing plans to harshly condemn any Democrat who votes against the measure.
- "Any Democrat who is too partisan and pathetic to vote to condemn the political assassination of a 31-year-old father of two doesn't have a conscience and doesn't deserve to serve in Congress," said NRCC spokesperson Will Kiley.
