Democrats voiced concern in a tense and emotional caucus meeting Thursday morning that members who oppose a House resolution honoring slain conservative icon Charlie Kirk could face threats or violence.
The House was set to vote Thursday on a five-page resolution introduced by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and co-sponsored by 165 House Republicans, but no Democrats.
In addition to condemning Kirk's assassination last week in Utah, the resolution calls the slain conservative leader a "courageous American patriot" who "worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said at the meeting his leadership team will vote for the resolution, Axios reported, citing lawmakers and aides familiar with his remarks.
Some House Democrats left the meeting visibly upset, adding fuel to concerns about the political ramifications of the vote. But Democrat leaders are not formally whipping the vote, sources told Axios, much to the frustration of some members.
“That was the ugliest meeting I’ve ever seen," a senior House Democrat told Axios. The lawmaker 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 told Axios.
Several House Democrats voiced concerns about possible violence, with some arguing that if the party is divided, members who vote against the resolution might be targeted.
One member told Axios "point-blank" there could be violent repercussions "because of our not being together." Another paraphrased the argument as: "If everybody's not a 'yes', the ‘nos’ will get targeted."
Yet another House Democrat told Axios the prospect of violence is a "huge concern" among their colleagues.
Multiple lawmakers departing the meeting told Axios that Republicans packed the resolution with praise for Kirk to make it politically harder for Democrats to vote for it. A bipartisan resolution condemning the fatal shootings of two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota passed the House 424-0 in June.
Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., told Axios while leaving 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 [Kirk] has attacked over the years," she said. “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."
Others left 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.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP campaign arm, is telegraphing plans to 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," NRCC spokesperson Will Kiley told Axios.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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