More Fallout from Kirk’s Murder and Epstein Sex Case – “The Sunday Political Brunch”

Sunday, September 21, 2025

Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™

L-R Clockwise Charlie Kirk PHOTO: Promotional; President Donald Trump PHOTO: White House; Maxwell and Epstein PHOTO: US DOJ

The murder of Charlie Kirk and the festering Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal continue to dominate the political headlines. So much so that other major stories are getting scant coverage. Let’s “brunch” on that this week:

“Kirk Murder Charges” – Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Tyler Robinson in the shooting death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. The 22-year-old is charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm with children present, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent crime in the presence of a child. As for a possible motive, investigators say Robinson did not agree with Kirk’s (or Trump’s) position on LGBTQ+ issues. Prosecutors say Robinson was living with his partner, a transgender woman.

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“Kash Patel Gets Grilled” – FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with House and Senate members in two separate hearings. Shortly after Kirk was murdered, Patel went on social media and said a suspect was in custody. But it turns out that the man was wanted for unrelated questioning, and the gunman was still at large for hours. When you say the bad guy was caught, the public and the media (and even some in law enforcement) stop looking. I know this from working for four years as a civilian law enforcement employee. Senator Peter Welch (D) Vermont said to Patel, “So that was a mistake.” Patel responded, “I don’t see it as a mistake. I see it as something working with the public to identify that there was a subject in custody.” Sen. Welch pressed again, “So if you put out a statement that says ‘we got our man’ and in fact it turns out that you didn’t have your man, that’s not a mistake?” Even though precious hours were lost, Patel said, “But that’s not what I said.” His initial tweet remains on the internet for all to see.

“More Danger?” – Last week, I reported that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said credible threats to members of Congress were up to 14,000 this year, compared to 9,000 this time last year. That’s a 56 percent increase. Not surprisingly, some members are taking action. Rep. Nancy Mace (R) South Carolina told reporters she will be carrying a gun because of her concerns. Mace said, “I will be locked and loaded with one in the chamber.” I bet more do the same. I remember my friend, the late San Francisco Mayor and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein was always packing a pistol. Feinstein cradled San Francisco Mayor George Moscone’s head in her hands while he was dying from an assassination. As President of the Board of Supervisors, she became mayor upon his death.

“Venomous Social Media Debate” – I have been a member of Facebook and X (then Twitter) since 2008. I have never seen such an angry, vile, and hostile exchange of ideas, opinions, and feelings. I am not going to repeat any of the comments here, since almost everyone has seen them, too. Honestly, I took a few days off from social media because I simply overdosed. I am not taking sides here because I think there is blame in all corners, liberal, conservative, and independent. There were some similar tones in July 2024, when then former President Donald Trump was nearly killed in Pennsylvania, but that pales in comparison to this. In the wake of the Kirk murder, there were so many calls for a more civil debate, but we are getting the exact opposite. Various people, from teachers to soldiers, have even been fired for their comments.

“Obama Weighs In” – Whether you agree with his political views and policies or not, it would appear that former Democratic President Barack Obama is trying to be a voice of reason in the Kirk debate. Obama said, “Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, what happened to Charlie Kirk was horrific and a tragedy.” He added, “What happened … to the (murdered) state legislators in Minnesota, that is horrific. It is a tragedy. And there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, the central premise of our democratic system is that we have to be able to disagree and have sometimes really contentious debates without resort to violence.” He made the comments at a forum in Philadelphia and went on to say, “And so, look, obviously I didn’t know Charlie Kirk. I was generally aware of some of his ideas. I think those ideas were wrong, but that doesn’t negate the fact that what happened was a tragedy and that I mourn for him and his family.”

“Kimmel Backlash” – In an interview, a reporter asked President Trump about how he was coping with Kirk’s murder. Trump said, “I think very good.” He then pivoted to a completely unrelated matter, saying, “And by the way, right there where you see all the trucks, they just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House, which is something they’ve been trying to get, as you know, for about 150 years, and it’s gonna be a beauty.” After playing that video clip, Jimmy Kimmel joked, “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction. Demolition, construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.” For those comments, ABC suspended the late-night host.

“Reaction?” – As you might expect, a lot of the reaction to Kimmel fell across partisan lines. President Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, “Great News for America: The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent.” The Writers’ Guild of America, a union that represents writers on many shows, including Kimmel, issued a statement saying, in part, “What we have signed on to – painful as it may be at times – is the freeing agreement to disagree.” It added, “Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world.” The real push to suspend came from the two largest local TV ownership groups, Nexstar and Sinclair. Collectively, they own approximately 53 ABC affiliates, and they told the network they would stop airing the Kimmel show. The FCC also pressured ABC to suspend Kimmel. What Kimmel said was offensive, but the incursion on all of our free speech is equally offensive.

“Bondi on Hate Speech” – Attorney General Pam Bondi got tongues wagging this past week when she said that the administration would “go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.” The attorney general also threatened to prosecute Office Depot after an employee refused to print posters for a vigil honoring Kirk. Critics in both parties quickly reminded Bondi that hate speech, while not nice, is protected by the Constitution. Days later, Bondi tried to clarify her comments by saying hate speech that prompted violence, riots, and physical harm could be prosecuted as a motivation for those crimes.

“Maurene Comey Sues Trump” – She is one of the more interesting figures in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal, and now she is suing President Trump and the Department of Justice. Former New York Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey was fired from her job. Not only was she working to prosecute Epstein, she also prosecuted entertainer Sean “Diddy” Combs on sex related charges. But her last name may expose the real truth. Her dad is former FBI Director James Comey, who is despised by Trump. Trump fired him in 2017. Her lawsuit states, “Defendants have not provided any explanation whatsoever for terminating Ms. Comey. In truth, there is no legitimate explanation.” All she is asking is that she be reinstated to her job, for which she received a recent outstanding performance rating from her superiors. The DOJ has declined to comment.

“Oh, to be a Fly on the Wall” – President Trump visited the United Kingdom this week and met with King Charles, who hosted a state dinner. It must have been a bit awkward, as Fox News scion Rupert Murdoch was also a guest. Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal for printing an article about a bawdy birthday card that Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein. It gets even stranger. Four people were arrested after they projected a hologram photo of Trump and Epstein onto one of the towers at Windsor Castle. Epstein was known to be a close friend of Prince Andrew, who is Charles’s younger brother. You can’t make this stuff up.

“Fed Cuts Interest Rates” — As many had anticipated, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors cut interest rates by a quarter-point. Chairman Jerome Powell, who clashed with President Trump on this earlier this year, signaled there might be two more quarter-point cuts by the end of this year. While inflation is up, just over two percent for the year, unemployment has spiked. The hope is that lower interest rates will stimulate borrowing and that people will spend that money on goods and services, thus creating more jobs. 2026 is an election year, and the economic state of things may determine which party controls each chamber in Congress. It’s a big deal.

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is a South Florida-based political writer and analyst who has covered news and politics all across the nation, including New England, for the past 48 years. Most recently, he was the Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations covering West Virginia, its five neighboring states, and the entire Washington, DC media market. He remains a MINDSETTER™ Contributing Political Writer and Analyst for www.GoLocalProv.com and its affiliates.

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