House Speaker Mike Johnson gets ready for Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol on September 15, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images
As stated by CNN
President Donald Trump and his closest aides are considering the possibility of stepping up pressure on left-wing groups after the murder of Charlie Kirk, but not all Republicans support the policy of retaliation.
Leveraging the anger of his electoral base after the tragic incident, Trump has become the voice placing responsibility for the latest political violence on left-wing organizations and, with his advisers, is developing a plan to use federal authorities against them.
A group of more than 30 Republican representatives urged Speaker Mike Johnson to create a new committee that would investigate violence from the left wing and empower it with the authority to issue subpoenas for financial documents. Some Republicans warned that such an investigation could set a precedent of political persecution of opponents, which Democrats could use to regain a majority next year.
«Let’s treat this like adults and try to reduce violence in every case»
Stages and Risks of a Potential Investigation
Creating such a committee would give Congress additional weight in efforts that had previously been considered largely declarative, with a focus on the left wing as a source of violent conduct in politics.
According to the initiators’ plan, the investigation would cover acts of violence and determine whether any left-leaning group financed these actions, according to the testimony of several sympathetic lawmakers. Sources also stressed that the work could extend to investigations into the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and to scrutiny of the finances of billionaire George Soros, who is often mentioned in conspiracy theories.
«I’m glad that we are finally looking into the source of funding and tracing the money»
But Johnson, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, and James Comer, the chair of the Oversight Committee, have not yet responded to requests to initiate such work. Johnson said he had not had the opportunity to consider it when asked about the idea of creating a special committee, and CNN reached out to him for comment.
Party members express concern that such an investigation could deepen the split in the coalition and intensify polarization, especially among supporters who doubt that blaming violence on one side would bring political benefits.
Other representatives, notably Jeremy Nunn from Iowa, prefer to focus on a narrower select committee that would examine violence related to gang activity in Central and South America, rather than broad coverage of the left wing. “Let’s start with this,” Nunn said.
Despite internal disagreements, the tragic incident with Kirk has drawn increased attention to the divisions among Republicans on how to respond to violence in politics. Some party leaders have already stressed the need to be firm, while also upholding the law and avoiding provocations against opponents.
In summary, the party remains divided between those who see investigations into the left as a tool against political violence, and those who fear that such steps could play into Democrats’ hands in future elections. At the same time, public attention to these differences could affect the party’s image and its prospects in the next elections.
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