2,387 videos 1,376,944,188 views US Joined Aug 30, 2018
Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Charlie Kirk Defends January 6 Pardons Based on Due Process Violations in Heated Campus Debate
Charlie Kirk faces a challenging question from a college student whose father is a police officer about the January 6 pardons. Kirk argues that everyone should be pardoned—not because of what they did, but because they were systematically denied their Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Amendment rights. He contends that January 6 defendants were held in pre-trial detention for nearly two years without proper legal representation, with some attorneys forcing clients to watch anti-MAGA videos to "un-brainwash" themselves. Kirk emphasizes that even the worst criminals deserve constitutional protections, and the pardons send a message that the justice system was perverted for political aims under the Biden administration. The exchange highlights the tension between supporting law enforcement and defending constitutional due process rights.
During a college campus event, Charlie Kirk fielded a provocative question from a young woman whose father serves as a police officer. She asked Kirk whether he supported pardoning those who injured or killed police officers in the line of duty on January 6. The question was pointed and personal, challenging Kirk to reconcile his position on the pardons with respect for law enforcement.
Kirk clarified his position immediately: everyone involved in January 6 should be pardoned, but not because of what they were accused of doing. Rather, the pardons are justified because defendants were systematically deprived of their constitutional rights to due process.
Constitutional Rights Violations
Kirk outlined specific violations of the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Amendments that January 6 defendants allegedly experienced. Many were held in pre-trial detention for nearly two years, far longer than typical for similar charges. Some defendants were not provided adequate attorney representation, and in one egregious case, Kirk cited an attorney who made his client watch videos claiming MAGA was brainwashing people and instructed him to "un-brainwash" himself before trial.
Kirk described conditions in the DC jail where January 6 defendants were held, comparing them to a "Moscow internment camp." He claimed defendants had to sleep on floors with inadequate food for days, treatment he argued violated basic human rights regardless of the crimes they were accused of committing.
The Scope of January 6 Actions
When pressed on whether he supported the actions at the Capitol on January 6, Kirk provided nuanced answers. He pointed to cases like Siaka Massaquoi, who took three steps into the Capitol, said a prayer, and left, yet faced being hunted by federal officials for three years with the possibility of 10 years in federal prison.
Kirk acknowledged that not everyone at the Capitol behaved the same way. He stated that out of 1,800 criminal indictments, only 36 individuals actually laid hands on police officers. Many others, he argued, peacefully walked into what he called "the people's house," said prayers, took pictures, and left. Kirk even claimed that some police officers gave tours, showing attendees different parts of the Capitol.
The Principle Behind the Pardons
Kirk drew a comparison to illustrate his principle: even someone who commits a heinous crime like a school shooting deserves Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Amendment protections. They deserve a lawyer and a fair trial. If they don't receive those constitutional protections, Kirk argued, they should be pardoned—not because their actions were justified, but because the justice system failed to uphold basic standards.
He emphasized that the pardons were not about the merits of what defendants did or didn't do. Instead, they represented a statement about the integrity of the American justice system. Kirk framed the pardons as President Trump declaring that the justice system will never again be perverted for political aims, as he believes it was under Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Challenging the Narrative
Kirk challenged several aspects of the prevailing narrative about January 6. He noted that no police officers were actually killed on that day, countering the questioner's implication. He also pointed out that much of the January 6 footage remains under seal, preventing defendants and the public from accessing evidence that might exonerate or provide context for their actions.
The exchange highlighted the tension between respecting law enforcement—particularly meaningful given the questioner's personal connection through her father—and defending constitutional principles. Kirk maintained that supporting police officers and supporting due process rights are not mutually exclusive positions.
A Statement on Justice System Integrity
Kirk concluded by reiterating that he doesn't support attacking police officers. However, he insisted that maintaining the integrity of the American justice system requires that even those accused of terrible acts receive fair treatment. The January 6 pardons, in his view, were about wiping the slate clean on a justice system that had been corrupted for political purposes, ensuring that constitutional rights apply equally to everyone regardless of their alleged crimes or political affiliations.
