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Miller also revealed that Kirk himself had pressed for action against violent leftist movements in their final conversation. “And we are going to do that under President Trump’s leadership. I don’t care how it could be a RICO charge, a conspiracy charge, conspiracy against the United States. insurrection, but we are going to do what it takes to dismantle the organizations and the entities that are fomenting riots, that are doxxing, that are trying to inspire terrorism, that are committing acts of wanton violence. It has to stop. And my message is to all of the domestic terrorists in this country spreading this evil hate, you want us to live in fear? We will not live in fear, but you will live in exile,” Miller said.
Lankford Chooses a Different Path
Instead of backing the administration’s vow to root out left-wing radicals, Lankford used his CNN appearance to issue a “both sides” statement.
“We need to be careful in how we talk about this, whether it is talking about white nationalists and preparing to be able to attack and to be able to carry an attack, or to somebody like a Timothy McVeigh that hated the government intensely in my state 30 years ago, murdered 168 people in Oklahoma City, or whether it is a leftist group that is interested in actually attacking a pro-life center that we saw several years ago, or whether it’s carrying out some other act of terrorism or trying to be able to intimidate people,” he said.
For many conservatives, this sounded like a dodge. Instead of acknowledging the very real and immediate threat from leftist extremists in the wake of Kirk’s murder, Lankford pointed to historical examples and spread the blame evenly.
Equal Justice or False Equivalency?
Lankford continued: “We should have equal application of the law to saying, if you’re choosing to be able to carry out an aggressive, violent act, that should be something that we actually try to interdict any time that we possibly can. Again, thinking something, talking about something, is very different than carrying out that action. We have freedom of speech, but you do not have the freedom to be able to plan, prepare, and carry out an attack against another American, no matter what your ideology.”
While his words about freedom of speech and preventing violence may sound neutral, many see them as tone-deaf given the timing. The suspected assassin was motivated by left-wing ideology, not by “both sides.”
Conservatives Left Frustrated
This is not the first time Lankford has angered his own base. Critics still remember when he pushed a proposal that would have opened the border to thousands of illegal immigrants each day during Biden’s presidency. Now, in a moment when the conservative movement is demanding clarity and strong leadership, Lankford has once again chosen to blur the lines.
Charlie Kirk’s murder is more than a tragic loss—it’s a stark warning about the growing extremism festering on the left. President Trump and his team are pledging to confront it head-on. But voices like Senator Lankford’s risk watering down that message by pretending the threat is equal on all sides.
For grieving conservatives, the question now is simple: will Republicans rally together to stop the radical left, or will some continue to play the “both sides” game while America’s most dangerous extremists grow bolder?
