A Republican-led House panel has asked the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit to testify before Congress next month, following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
In letters sent to each of the four executives, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer noted that the hearing is intended to “examine radicalization of online forum users, including incidents of open incitement to commit violent politically motivated acts.”
Comer wrote in a statement that “the politically motivated” assassination of Charlie Kirk claimed the life of a husband, father, and American patriot.
“In the wake of this tragedy, and amid other acts of politically motivated violence, Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence.”
James Comer
Neither Meta nor X, which are far more widely used than the other social platforms, were asked to testify.
Renewed focus has been placed on social platforms in the wake of Kirk’s assassination. The suspect in his murder, Tyler Robinson, 22, appeared to have an active online presence and was deeply steeped in gaming and meme culture.
News reports suggest that Robinson confessed to the shooting in a chat on the messaging platform Discord.
Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of conservative US Activist Charlie Kirk appeared virtually on Tuesday for his first court hearing since his arrest.
Earlier, Utah prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty for Robinson, as they cited evidence against him, including alleged text messages in which he appeared to confess to carrying out the assassination on September 10 during an event that Kirk was hosting at Utah Valley University (UVU).
Prosecutors laid out extensive evidence against Robinson, much of it taken from his own communications with friends and family.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said Robinson was charged with seven offences, including aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm.
The 10-page charging document filed by Utah officials contains details on the reasoning behind the charges against Robinson.
Gray said he would seek the death penalty, citing the threat to others at the UVU event where Kirk was shot, especially children, in addition to Kirk’s killing.
Another hearing will be held on September 29, at 10am (16:00 GMT). Judge Tony Graf said a lawyer had to be appointed to represent Robinson, and that the second hearing would happen on WebEx.Graf also stated that Robinson would remain in custody without bail.
While a number of leading Republicans have sought to present the murder as part of a vast, left-wing “terror movement”, evidence provided by police thus far suggests Robinson acted alone.
Pressure For People To Be Fired Over Posts Celebrating Kirk’s Death
Activists and officials on the right, meanwhile, have been pressuring employers to fire staff who made social media comments that appeared to celebrate Kirk’s death, or even those who simply posted remarks critical of Kirk
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said the government would revoke the visas of foreigners celebrating the death of Kirk.
Attorney General Pam Bondi also said that the Department of Justice would “go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech” – remarks she later had to walk back.
Free speech advocates have raised alarm, noting that free expression is protected under the Constitution.
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