The Washington Post has terminated columnist Karen Attiah following social media posts linking to comments about Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist killed in Utah, and the Colorado school shooting. Attiah faced backlash for quoting Kirk’s remarks on race and gun violence, which she altered to imply racist intent.

In her Bluesky posts, Attiah criticized America’s “ritualized responses” to violence, including calls for “thoughts and prayers,” and accused white men of being absolved of accountability. She referenced a 2023 statement by Kirk during his show, where he said, “You do not have the brain processing power,” which she rephrased as “Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously.”

Attiah clarified that her only direct mention of Kirk was through his own words, noting her focus on specific individuals rather than broad generalizations. Meanwhile, MSNBC dismissed senior political analyst Matthew Dowd after he suggested Kirk’s rhetoric might have contributed to his killing. Dowd stated, “Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions,” and speculated about the shooter’s motives. The network condemned his remarks as “inappropriate” and apologized for the comments.

A website called CharliesMurderers.com has emerged to document online hate speech targeting Kirk, amassing over 50,000 submissions. It claims to aggregate public data on political violence without doxxing private individuals, emphasizing its role as a “lawful data aggregator” for public education. The site’s creators stated they oppose all forms of violence but argued that those who post hateful content online should face consequences.

The controversy highlights tensions over free speech and accountability in the wake of high-profile incidents.