(The Center Square) – Count Democratic U.S. Reps. Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams of North Carolina among those slammed by the White House on Monday in response to Friday’s vote for a resolution to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk.
Fifty-eight Democrats – including Foushee of the 4th Congressional District – were against House Resolution 719. Another 38 – including Adams of the 12th Congressional District – opted for voting present rather than yea or nay.
“There were no strings attached to this vote,” said Karoline Leavitt, speaking for the White House on Monday. “This was a simple gesture of human decency to denounce political violence. I wish I could say that this was only a fringe group. But 96 votes is nearly half of the entire House Democratic caucus.
“And they didn’t just vote against this basic resolution condemning political violence. A number of those same Democrats took to the House floor to smear Charlie Kirk’s name. The man wasn’t even buried yet, and Democrat members of Congress were denigrating his memory on the floor of the House of Representatives.”
Foushee, on social media, reiterated a statement from the Congressional Black Caucus that said in part, “Violence has no place in our politics, whether it is the murder of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, or the killing of Charlie Kirk.”
It called the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Medger Evers and Fred Hampton assassinations where political differences turned to violence.
And it said it must condemn violence “without abandoning our right to speak out against ideas that are inconsistent with our values as Americans.” The group said in part, “We strongly disagree with many of the beliefs Charlie Kirk promoted.”
North Carolina’s delegation gave 12 votes in support, including from Democratic Reps. Don Davis and Deborah Ross, and Republican Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore.
North Carolina’s members of the 62-member Congressional Black Caucus are Adams, Davis and Foushee.
Kirk was shot to death at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. He was the founder of Turning Point USA and known for active engagement in civil debate with those in disagreement with him.
Minnesotans on the morning of June 14 were shocked to learn House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman had been killed. Also overnight, Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette escaped an assassination attempt. He was shot nine times and his wife eight.
House Resolution 519 followed on June 17, with passage 424-0 and no votes of present. All 14 North Carolinians delivered yeas.
