For Charlie Kirk‘s friends, fans and countless Americans affected by his death, his assassination is still a raw wound. But grief has not slowed the opportunists.
The vultures have now landed after circling his legacy for weeks, eager to conscript him into their own narratives.
On Tuesday, Candace Owens released a leaked private group chat that included Kirk. In the exchange, held two days before his killing, he expressed frustration over criticism he had received from pro-Israel donors to his organization Turning Point USA.
Kirk wrote, in part: ‘Just lost another huge Jewish donor. $2 million a year because we won’t cancel [Israel critic Tucker Carlson]. I’m thinking of inviting Candace [to Turning Point events].
‘Jewish donors play into all the stereotypes. I cannot and will not be bullied like this. Leaving me no choice but to leave the pro-Israel cause.’
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet confirmed the authenticity of the messages on Tuesday, saying he had released the chat to law enforcement following Kirk’s assassination last month. At some point, Owens obtained the exchange as well.
So, what does it all mean?
I’d argue we don’t need to guess. There are no revelations here.
For Charlie Kirk’s friends, fans and countless Americans affected by his death, his assassination is still a raw wound. But grief has not slowed the opportunists
On Tuesday, Candace Owens released a leaked private group chat that included Kirk. In the exchange, held two days before his killing, he expressed frustration over criticism he had received from pro-Israel donors to his organization Turning Point USA
Kirk had already gone public with his upset over pro-Israel advocates pulling their support over his refusal to silence anti-Israel critics inside the conservative movement.
Kirk told Megyn Kelly in August, ‘The behavior by a lot [of pro-Israel individuals] both privately and publicly are pushing people like you and me away — not like we’re going to be pro-Hamas… but, honestly, the way you are treating me is so repulsive. I have text messages calling me an anti-semite.’
Were Kirk’s views complex? Of course. He could be frustrated — particularly when donors dangled checks and then yanked them back over disagreements on Israel or his associations.
But, still, Kirk’s record speaks for itself.
Long before his death, he sent a private memo to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It was vintage Charlie: granular, tactical, full of ideas about how Israel could deploy the digital age assets against a growing number of detractors.
‘The purpose of this letter is to lay out our concerns and outline potential remedies. Everything written here is from a place of deep love for Israel and the Jewish people,’ he wrote.
The document, released in full after Kirk’s death, was part playbook, part love letter. This was the work of a young man who understood modern politics and cared deeply about the impact of American public opinion on Israel’s future.
This nuance can be inconvenient, to some. And in the current media scrum, complexity is the first casualty. Owens seeks to capitalize on that conundrum.
On Tuesday, Owens claimed that Kirk spoke to her in a ‘vivid dream’ and revealed that ‘he was betrayed.’ Last month, Owens said that there is a ‘federal conspiracy’ around his murder.
Her selective leaking of a private Kirk text exchange is less revelation than theft and mind game.
Those in Trumpworld who knew Kirk and know Owens call it what it is: a clumsy attempt to fold Kirk’s reputation into her brand.
Those in Trumpworld who knew Kirk and know Owens call it what it is: a clumsy attempt to fold Kirk’s reputation into her brand
On Capitol Hill and in the Trump administration, Republicans who actually worked with Kirk on youth outreach are quietly appalled, attesting to his pro-Israel bona fides.
Donors close to Turning Point USA echo the same line: frustration at times, yes, but always grounded in support. For them, watching Owens reframe his words is not only infuriating — it’s insulting.
Owens is basically trying to annex his followers in an act both ghoulish and classic Candace. She sees an angle, she takes it.
The move is galling to so many of Charlie’s friends.
Owens now claims Kirk secretly shared her worldview. But the real Kirk never needed surrogates. He was perfectly capable of voicing his own contrarian streaks, in public and in private.
His pals remember him as a prodigious messenger, not someone waiting for others to interpret him from beyond the grave.
The bigger story is what this episode reveals about the conservative movement. For too many, loyalty is cheap. Friendship is conditional.
Less than a month after Kirk was killed, his memory is being manhandled by those who once claimed to admire him.
Washington insiders know the game: the fastest way to build relevance is to attach yourself to a martyr. Owens has chosen her vehicle.
History will sort out Charlie Kirk’s legacy.
The memo to Netanyahu, his public speeches, and his private conversations tell a consistent story: pro-Israel, blunt, sometimes impatient.
The opportunists will also be remembered — not for their brilliance, but for how they showed their character when they chose to stand on Kirk’s grave, shout and point.
