Conservative leaders and right-wing media figures are facing condemnation after turning the assassination of activist Charlie Kirk into a rallying cry against Democrats, echoing President Donald Trump’s baseless claim that “the radical left” was responsible.

Kirk, 31, founder of Turning Point USA and a close Trump ally, was shot in the neck by a sniper’s bullet during a debate at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. He was taken to a hospital but died soon afterward. Kirk leaves behind a wife and two young children. The shooter remains at large; two people detained in the immediate aftermath were released without charges. The manhunt continues and the FBI has not yet named a suspect.

From the Oval Office, Trump delivered a nationally televised address.

“This is a dark mom

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