MSNBC has reportedly fired political analyst Matthew Dowd following remarks he made during the network's coverage of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting, a network source confirmed.
Dowd had erroneously speculated the shooter of Kirk might have been "a supporter shooting his gun off in celebration."
"During our breaking news coverage of the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Matthew Dowd made comments that were inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable," MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler wrote in a statement. "We apologize for his statements, as has he. There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise."
Dowd's comments came during an exchange with anchor Katy Tur about the broader climate surrounding political violence.
"He's been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups," Dowd said. "And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that is the environment we are in. 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. And that's the unfortunate environment we are in," Dowd said on air.
The remarks sparked immediate backlash from conservatives, who accused MSNBC of justifying or excusing violence against Kirk.
Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon told Newsmax that Dowd was terminated shortly after his appearance.
"It is grotesque that instead of focusing on the tragedy of Charlie Kirk's assassination, they chose to smear him in death," Dhillon told "The Chris Salcedo Show," condemning Dowd and MSNBC's handling of the coverage.
"That's beyond the pale, and it shows just how out of touch MSNBC is with basic decency." Dhillon said.
The incident adds fuel to the already heated debate over media bias and responsibility in the wake of politically motivated violence.
"Utah is not the, you know, tribes and, you know, mountains of Afghanistan where people do that," Dhillon said. "We don't shoot our guns off in celebration in the United States at a debate.
"That is the stupidest thing I ever heard. It is shameful. And that person should really not be on a news network."
In a post to Bluesky – a liberal social media platform rife with leftist bias – before his firing, Dowd apologized for his comments.
"I apologize for my tone and words," he wrote. "Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack. Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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