House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., led a vigil at the Capitol on Monday night for slain conservative icon Charlie Kirk, saying "he would not want us to be overcome by despair and would want us to carry the message forward, to honor his memory, and to expand the legacy that he left behind."
Kirk, 31, the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, the nation's largest conservative youth organization, was slain Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University.
"Our friend Charlie did not pass away in a car accident," Johnson said. "He was assassinated for standing for his political beliefs. And so, it's for so many of us, it has felt as if the ground has been shaken. And it's not just the people assembled here, of course. It involves students on university campuses around America, and the over 3,000 chapters of Turning Point that are on university college campuses and high school campuses around the country."
The memorial took place at Statuary Hall and aired live on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 free online streaming platform. Johnson was joined by House leadership and other members of Congress.
And all of the people in the network and in the conservative movement and throughout the nation that have heard Charlie's voice and felt a part of all that he was involved with, because he was on a mixture of media and his voice was heard loudly and clearly," Johnson said. "What we do know about Charlie is that he would not want us to be overcome by despair, and would want us to carry the message forward, to honor his memory, and to expand the legacy that he left behind."
The event took place a night after a prayer vigil was held for Kirk at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Johnson, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were among the speakers.
"The best way to honor the memory of Charlie Kirk is to live as he lived," Johnson said Monday. "And I've encouraged young people to do two things [to] advance his principles and adopt his approach. The principles that Charlie stood for were faith and freedom and family and virtue and patriotism and America, which he believed and we all believe is the greatest nation in the history of the world. Those are good principles to advance.
"You honor your country, but also to adopt his approach, because Charlie was a happy warrior and he was not angry at anybody about any of those things that he was advancing. He never hated anyone. In fact, in Charlie's own words, he was motivated by love. He believed in the words of Scripture. He identified himself to be a Christ follower. And he tried to model that every single day and everything that he did."
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., who survived a 2017 assassination attempt during practice for the congressional baseball game, said it's important for everyone to lean on their faith in the wake of Kirk's death.
"But when we think about our faith," Scalise said, "I think about Isaiah 43, and the Lord says, 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze, for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior.' God bless you, Charlie Kirk."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.