Shortly after right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot at a Utah event on Wednesday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) claimed that Democrats were to blame for his death.
“Democrats own this,” Mace told reporters Wednesday on Capitol Hill — although the shooter was, and continues to be, at large, and the motive for the shooting is still very much unknown.
A reporter immediately pushed back.
“By that logic,” NBC’s chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles asked Mace, “do Republicans own the shooting of the two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota?”
Nobles was referring to the killing of former Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, in an attack at their home in June. The same shooter also injured Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their home not far away.
“Isn’t this on both sides?” Nobles pressed Mace.
“Are you kidding me?” an outraged Mace responded. “Some raging leftist lunatic put a bullet through [Kirk’s] neck, and you want to talk about Republicans right now? No!”
“No, I’m asking you, you said the Democrats were going to—” Nobles began before Mace interjected.
“No, this is on— the Democrats own this,” Mace repeated.
“But is there a problem with political violence across the spectrum?” Nobles asked.
“Yeah, we’re talking about Charlie Kirk right now,” Mace dug in. “That’s the subject of this, that we’re talking about right now. Democrats own this, 100%.”
People on X also clocked the hypocrisy of Mace’s remarks — with many praising Nobles for bluntly exposing her attempt to demonize Democrats for the shooting.