A U.S. Senate hearing on Tuesday addressed the growing threat of ideologically motivated violence from radical leftists, prompted by the recent assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. Daily Wire host Michael Knowles testified on how such incidents are often downplayed in official records and media coverage. Republican senators, led by Eric Schmitt, presented evidence to underscore the issue's urgency.
The hearing, held on October 28, 2025, focused on the rise of violence linked to radical left ideologies, including from groups like Antifa, and its implications for the First Amendment. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and fellow Republicans argued that political leaders and media must confront this trend to prevent escalation. The session was triggered by the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which has spotlighted political violence amid multiple attempts on former President Trump.
Knowles, testifying based on his experiences with leftist threats, criticized past administrations for excluding events from left-wing violence registries. He cited the 2023 Covenant School massacre in Nashville, where a trans-identifying shooter killed Christian children after leaving a manifesto tied to gender ideology, yet authorities deemed it lacking ideological motive. "Consider the Covenant School massacre in Nashville, for instance, in which a trans-identifying shooter murdered Christian children at school after leaving a manifesto outlining ideological motivations, such as gender ideology. That incident, according to authorities, lacked an ideological motive," Knowles said.
He also pointed to the Black Lives Matter riots, which caused dozens of deaths and over a billion dollars in property damage but are absent from left-wing violence lists. An Antifa attack on Knowles himself was recorded merely as "obstructing law enforcement." Knowles noted a shift, referencing a September 23, 2025, Atlantic article headlined 'Left-Wing Terrorism Is On The Rise,' based on a recent study. However, he highlighted Democrat Rep. Seth Moulton's response to Kirk's killing, which blamed the Right.
A recent YouGov poll showed 26% of young liberals view political violence as sometimes justified, compared to 7% of young conservatives. Critics of legacy media claim they bury ideological motives in cases like Kirk's, where the suspect—a leftist in a relationship with a male identifying as female—labeled Kirk's views "hateful." The hearing aimed to force acknowledgment of these patterns through evidence and high-profile testimony.