Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., said Thursday on Newsmax that the "void" left by conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his assassination must be met by filling the halls of Congress with retired military "freedom fighters."
"He was a voice of a lot of youth that talked about conservatism, a better future, private enterprise, and he really became the voice, I think, of reason, of articulation, of point," Zinke told "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE." "The void in his absence ... You know SEAL PAC. As you know, there's six [Navy] SEALs in Congress, there's one in the Senate, and we're actively recruiting SEALs to now serve again. I think it's important. We need freedom fighters. Society is now, when you have a conservative voice, they're trying to quell that voice, in many cases, assassinate that voice – with Charlie – shut down the message. This is an important moment in American history and those that have served, we need them to serve again on the front lines."
Speaking on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, Zinke was asked if America has forgotten how to come together in unity like it did on Sept. 12, 2001.
"I'm not sure if [America's] forgotten, but certainly [it needs] reminding of it," the congressman said. "Sept. 11, those of us who were around, I remember I was a SEAL instructor at the time. The first plane hit the tower, I thought, oh, what a tragedy, what a mistake, what an error. And when the second aircraft hit the tower, there was no doubt we were going to war. Things had changed.
"Now I think the assassination of Charlie Kirk – a wonderful, warm, loving father that gave a voice, again, to the conservative movement, not of violence, but of freedom of enterprise – and to have that voice dead at 31 ... I think America needs to get the anger out of it," Zinke continued. "You see across our country this summer, when at town halls, we're just trying to present a view. They were met with anger, with people throwing Molotov cocktails and bricks at ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers just trying to perform their duty across this country.
"You and I, we fought for America," he added, referencing Higbie's service as a Navy SEAL. "I didn't fight to fight against Americans. I fought to fight for Americans. I think it's time for all the country just to take a deep breath, get the anger out of the conversation, and focus on the challenges that face this country. The challenges are great. All of them are solvable if we work together as Americans."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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