KIRK'S DEATH DISTRACTS US AS REPUBLICANS BURY THE EPSTEIN FILES

By Monnie Bagby

Quora

I really find it unbelievable, how Republicans are behaving now. The outrage, the blaming of democrats about the Charlie Kirk shooting. 

I agree fully that it was a terrible thing, I agree that Charlie should not have been assassinated, and I agree whoever shot him (now identified as Tyler Robinson) has to be sent away for life, but this pearl clutching by republicans, as though there was no other political violence, mainly incited by Donald Trump himself is getting to me big time. 

Robinson is described as a “squeaky clean” and “considerate” kid who grew up in a Republican family that celebrated his academic wins and time together in their suburban Utah community. His grandmother told reporters the entire family was pro-Trump. He was not, as Trump has claimed, a left-wing radical egged on by the Democrats. He just disagreed with Kirk over his extreme supremacist views.

The flying of flags at half staff, the claiming of Trump that Charlie was his brother, as though a great American Hero had been murdered by terrorists is so disingenuous as to be nauseating.

Where was this wailing and weeping when a congresswoman and her husband, democrats, were murdered? It was was Melissa Hortman and her husband. Where was the outrage at the shooting of senator Hoffman and his wife? 

Where was the blame game when a Republican tried to assassinate Trump but killed an innocent man instead? Where were the shocked comments when Paul Pelosi was beaten half to death?

There are many more such instances. Trump's reactions to those not on his “team” being terrorized or killed seems to be more or less, that its too bad, they probably deserved it.

How many political opponents has Trump now stripped of their security detail, hoping that they may be attacked? Who constantly threatens retribution towards Governors, mayors and party members who will not bow to him?

And when Ashleigh Babbit was shot by Capitol security when she tried to storm the House in an attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power Jan. 6 and keep Trump in office, he had her buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery and the DOJ agreed to pay her family $5 million to settle a lawsuit.

Who, in fact, has created a world in which it’s ok to attack people for speaking their mind? It’s only ok to speak your mind if you speak for Trump, otherwise you are a traitor.

What would his reaction have been, I wonder, had Charlie been a Democrat, if his great debates had been left, not right. Would he still have mourned the loss of an intelligent young activist, well liked by his followers, just speaking his mind? 

Of course not. He would have called Charlie a Terrorist and a traitor. Even now, does he actually care about Charlie Kirk? I doubt it. He just cares about the opportunity for political theatre this has created. When Trump found out that Robinson wasn't a liberal Democrat, be promptly got over Kirk's death and asked a reporter if he had seen the trucks arriving to start building a new White House ballroom. He vets over those things quick.

And whilst Charlie Kirk’s death flooded the news…Senate Republicans quietly voted to table an amendment that would instruct the DOJ to release the Epstein Files. 

Not only did Kirk’s death provide another opportunity for Donald Trump to target “radical leftist lunatics” with his rhetoric, and pave the way for further authoritarian overreach, but he also managed to push his party into quietly burying the Epstein controversy – knowing fully well that the outrage over Kirk’s assassination would distract the attention of MAGA Republicans away from an issue that had otherwise been generating considerable public attention.