Erica Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, sat down with CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss as the network's first guest on a new town hall series.
The pre-recorded event aired Saturday night on CBS. Before airing, clips of the hour-long interview showcased topics discussed related to political violence, conspiracy theories and parenting in the age of social media – all issues Kirk has been in the spotlight on given the tragic nature of her husband's death and the ensuing backlash.
Ahead of the release, Weiss spoke with “CBS Morning” to discuss why she chose Kirk as her first guest, especially one who is considered so controversial. But that's the main reason Weiss said she chose her, calling TPUSA “the most important conservative organization in the country.”
“I agree with this. I don’t agree with that, but Turning Point USA is a powerful organization and will have so much to say and influence the direction of the right, especially after Trump,” she said.
But the other reason Weiss wanted her was because of what Kirk became on September 10th: a victim of political violence.
“Erica Kirk is a victim of what could be a very, very disturbing version of America,” Weiss said. “Her husband spoke on a college campus, whether you agreed with him or not, he was practicing the most fundamental American rights. He tried to convince people with words and then got shot in the neck while talking to someone who disagreed with him.”
What turned the tragedy into further concern in Weiss's eyes was the reaction justifying the murder, not only from random fanatics on the Internet, but also from prominent figures. Justifying Kirk's death “with the idea that words are violence and non-violence is violence, I think means something quite disturbing,” she said.
IN one of the clipsKirk voices city hall's concerns about this. Weiss asked Kirk what she would say to those people who celebrated her husband's death and praised her alleged killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
Kirk's answer was simple: “You're sick.”
“You want to watch the high-definition video of my husband’s murder and laugh and say he deserves it,” she said with tears in her eyes. – “There is something very painful in your soul, and I pray that God will save you.”
She said the behavior is a result of the internet and its ability to “dehumanize us.”
Since his death three months ago, Weiss told CBS Mornings that her other big worry is that social media has become an endless source of conspiracy mongering.
“You talk to a lot of seemingly sane people (and) they don't believe that a 22-year-old guy named Tyler Robinson who was arrested and charged with murder is the real killer,” Weiss said. “They believe in any number of theories. They believe that Erica Kirk was his Mossad handler and that he was killed by a foreign government. They believe that she was being followed by Egyptian planes. They believe that the rings on her hand are signs of the Illuminati. The theories themselves are absurd.”
Weiss said Kirk raises these concerns in the full interview. “The brain destruction that social media facilitates,” Kirk said, “the way it separates us from humanity, from our ability to talk to each other and our ability to distinguish truth from outright lies, is something incredibly important.”
According to her, the responsibility to de-escalate political tensions lies with everyone, and especially with parents to protect their children.
“I never agree with political violence. My husband is a victim of it. I am a victim of it, but what I'm trying to say is that we can blame everyone else,” she said. Instead: “We need to look in the mirror.”
“When you become a father, when you become a mother, how do you raise your children? Do you take charge or do you give them a device and say, 'Go down this rabbit hole'… Do you want your child to become a thought leader or an assassin? That's where we are.”
