MSNBC has dismissed political analyst Matthew Dowd following remarks he made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The network’s decision came after Dowd commented on Kirk shortly after news broke that the Turning Point USA founder was shot and killed at an event in Utah. The suspect in the shooting remains at large.
In his televised comments, Dowd described Kirk as “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.” He added, “And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
Dowd also speculated about the circumstances surrounding the incident: “We don’t know the full details of this. We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration. So, we have no idea,” he said.
MSNBC issued an apology for what it called “unacceptable” comments by Dowd after Kirk’s assassination. According to a report from Variety (https://t.co/ADSArzOmug), a source from MSNBC confirmed that Dowd had been fired from the network due to his statements regarding Kirk’s death.
The network’s move comes amid public scrutiny over on-air commentary related to high-profile incidents.
