Following the killing of Charlie Kirk, the chief executives of several prominent online social platforms have been asked to provide testimony to Congress regarding the potential for radicalization on online forums.
James Comer, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, extended invitations to the leaders of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit for testimony. This action followed reports from authorities indicating that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspected in Kirk’s killing, was reportedly influenced by “dark corners of the internet.”
According to a congressional press statement, the oversight committee announced its intention to investigate the “radicalization of online forum users, including instances of open incitement to commit politically motivated acts,” specifically on various platforms.
“The politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk ended the life of a husband, father, and American patriot. Following this tragedy, and in light of other acts of politically motivated violence, Congress has a responsibility to oversee the online platforms that radicals have exploited to further political violence,” remarked Rep. Comer, a Republican representing Kentucky.
During his address to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the FBI is currently investigating the involvement of “many more” than 20 users who participated in a Discord chat with Robinson before Kirk’s shooting.
Over the weekend, Utah Governor Spencer Cox revealed that Robinson’s friends informed investigators that he was deeply involved in the “dark places” of the internet and “Reddit culture,” a detail suggested by obscure messages etched onto bullet casings authorities recovered.
Text messages to his partner revealed that Robinson had inscribed these messages on the casings, describing them as one “big meme.”
The messages contained references to online gamer culture that only a niche audience would have comprehended. One message read: “Hey fascist! CATCH! (up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols)”. These words likely referred to a sequence of controller inputs that deploy a powerful bomb and an accompanying phrase in a third-person shooter video game named Helldivers 2. This phrase has evolved into a meme frequently used on message boards to indicate the end of a conversation.
Robinson appears to have been a regular user of Discord, an instant messaging app and social platform favored by gamers and content creators.
According to a source who presented messages to the Washington Post, messages allegedly from Robinson indicate his admission to killing Kirk in a Discord chat.
According to the Post, a user in the chat, alleged to be Robinson, stated, “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.”
The most revealing messages regarding Robinson’s motive surfaced in a text exchange between him and his partner, in which investigators said he communicated his feelings and stated he had “had enough of his hatred,” referring to Kirk.
On Tuesday, prosecutors announced that Robinson texted his partner, stating, “Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
During an interview on Fox on Monday, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino stated that Robinson had an “obsession” with Kirk, based on his digital footprint, and affirmed that the shooting was “clearly” an “ideologically motivated attack.”
Discord, originally conceived for gamers, has been known to have fostered extremist rhetoric in the past.
