A group of Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus called for a select committee to investigate the “the money, influence, and power behind the radical left’s assault on America and the rule of law” in the wake of the assassination of conservative powerhouse Charlie Kirk.
The group of 23 members, led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), articulated the request in a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Thursday, before Kirk’s suspected assassin was apprehended.
“In the wake of numerous attacks on our way of life, the destruction of the rule of law, and the murder of innocent Americans, prominent and unknown alike, we must take every step to follow the money and uncover the force behind the NGOs, donors, media, public officials, and all entities driving this coordinated attack,” the members wrote in the letter, going on to say there is “a sustained breakdown of law and order, fueled not by chance, but by anti-American ideology.”
The letter noted that the Southern Poverty Law Center, which keeps a “hate map” of extremist groups, earlier this year had singled out Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk co-founded.
The members decried “radical organizations” that funded campaigns for district attorneys and judges who it claimed “coordinate releasing criminals to the streets.”
“The result has been death and injury to thousands of Americans, including the recent horrifying murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska at the hands of a 14-time released criminal,” the letter said, in reference to the case that went viral earlier this year.
“Enough is enough. We must follow the money to identify the perpetrators of the coordinated antiAmerican assaults being carried out against us and take all steps under the law necessary to stop them,” the letter said.
In response to the letter, an SPLC spokesperson defended the organization’s work.
“The data and analysis we provide have been used in courts, classrooms, and legislatures to protect civil rights and hold extremists accountable,” the SPLC statement said. “We must have meaningful national conversation about violence and polarization in America. Blaming organizations that monitor extremism distracts from the urgent work of addressing the conditions that allow hate and violence to grow. SPLC remains committed to exposing extremism, equipping communities with knowledge, and defending the rights and safety of marginalized communities.”
The call for investigations echoes President Trump’s promise in wake of Kirk’s killing to use his administration to “find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it.”
Roy and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who also signed the letter, are both subcommittee chairs under the House Judiciary Committee. But they are calling for a new subcommittee with “full subpoena powers and authority to deliver results.”
“We can no longer pretend to be bound together by shared ideals when a well-funded, vitriolic cadre of our fellow Americans and foreign interests are at war with the very values of faith in God, fidelity to our Constitution, and respect for the principles of liberty and Western Civilization that define us as Americans – including, notably, the free speech practiced and exemplified by Charlie Kirk,” the members said in the letter.
Other signatories include House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (Md.) and Reps. Scott Perry (Pa.), Josh Brecheen (Okla.), Andy Ogles (Tenn.), Eric Burlison (Mo.), Keith Self (Texas), Brandon Gill (Texas), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Byron Donalds (Fla.) and Barry Moore (Ala.).
Updated at 2:13 pm.
