Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and other Republican politicians say the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk will add momentum to the movement he supported.
Before Sunday’s memorial service for Kirk in Arizona, Ernst and other GOP lawmakers mourned his death Saturday at a fundraiser for the conservative Christian political group, the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition.
The event brought in Republicans with national profiles, such as Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno and Kristi Noem, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It also gave a platform to Iowa elected officials.
Kirk’s assassination was top of mind for speakers at the gathering, which filled a hotel ballroom in Des Moines. Ernst tied Kirk’s death to what she called a “loss of faith” among Democrats.
“They are consumed by that darkness and that hole, and that's why it is so easy to embrace abortion,” Ernst said. “But it's also then very easy for them to be swallowed in that darkness of not valuing life, where they believe they can go out and take a life when they disagree with that person's position. And we saw that quite clearly a week and a half ago with the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
The White House has also looked to tie Kirk’s killer to left-wing organizations, but NBC News has reported investigators have so far not found evidence to make that connection.
Ernst went on to predict that Kirk’s influence will continue to grow.
“What can bring us together is the knowledge that his voice, while it was already loud, it will continue to be amplified many times over with his passing,” she said.
Second District Congresswoman Ashley Hinson said her 14-year-old son followed Kirk closely.
“When we asked him, ‘How many of Charlie's videos have you watched?’ He said, ‘Mom, I've watched them all,’” Hinson said. “So I know that in what happened that they have created 1 million, 10 million Charlie Kirks, and my son's one of them.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recalled the last text message she received from Kirk, which she said she regretted not responding to.
“He had sent it to me the day before he passed away, and he said, ‘We have to hold these mayors and governors accountable,’” Noem said. “And I had completely missed it, and I will forever be sick that I didn't respond to him. I absolutely would have said, ‘I'm on it, absolutely,’ but I think he knows that.”
Noem touts immigration crackdown
In her remarks Saturday, Noem also said 1.6 million people who were in the United States without legal status have voluntarily left the country. Noem said it shows the administration’s aggressive deportation policies are having their intended effect.
“You can wait until we arrest you, put you in handcuffs and remove you and fly you home, but you will never get the chance to come back to the United States of America," she said. "But if you leave now, you may get the chance to come back, so do it the right way. And we have 1.6 million people have done that."
Under the Trump administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has offered $1,000 and airfare to those who self-deport.
Fact checkers have noted the number Noem is giving is based on a population estimate that does show a decline in the immigrant population in the U.S. However, the estimate includes people who are deported or saw a change in their legal status, not just those who have chosen to leave the country.
