Inside the Charlie Kirk Israel controversy: Andrew Kolvet sets the record straight
The atrocious assassination of Charlie Kirk last September has ignited numerous conspiracy theories, some of which involve the nation of Israel. Even though Charlie was publicly very pro-Israel for years, especially in light of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, rumors that the TPUSA founder was beginning to waver on his support for the Jewish nation have led some to speculate that Israel might have been involved in his murder.
So where did Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA really fall on the issue of Israel?
On a recent episode of “Rufo and Lomez,” co-host Jonathan Keeperman sat down with executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show” and TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet, who addressed this question.
“This issue [of Israel] was probably the most difficult for Charlie to navigate in life,” says Kolvet.
He explains that for Charlie, there was one “bright line” when it came to Israel: “Jew-hate has no place in the conservative movement,” and “the scapegoating of an entire people group” is an “ancient evil” that cannot be tolerated.
However, that doesn’t mean that he was ever part of the hard-line, activist “pro-Israel” crowd who demand unconditional, unquestioning support for every Israeli policy. That’s why Charlie was sometimes “accused of being an anti-Semite,” Kolvet explains.
He notes that the “driving force” of the Trump-era conservative movement — which Charlie heavily shaped — has always been “non-interventionalism.”
“Charlie was certainly a driver of that and certainly a proponent of that. He wanted the government to focus more on domestic issues, but he also wasn't willing to go to that point and blame, you know, a small nation in the Middle East for all the world's ills,” Kolvet tells Keeperman.
This balanced stance became harder to maintain after Hamas’ October 7 attacks. Many on the right who already held non-interventionist views saw the war in Gaza as validation of their skepticism toward Israel.
“This is an instance of where our preconceived bias, confirmation bias was played into by geopolitical events,” Kolvet says.
The intense fighting reinforced the idea that U.S. ties to Israel drag America into foreign conflicts, creating a “perceived reality” that has grown since October 7 and put pressure on Charlie’s middle position. “It’s a tricky issue,” Kolvet acknowledges, “but we have to be able to say a couple things very, very clearly, I think, on our side if we’re going to keep the coalition together.”
“One, we are America first. Our interests are more important than Israel's interests. If you are an American, that has got to be a bright line in the sand,” he adds, acknowledging that there are legitimate questions about Israel spying on the U.S., the recurring “$4 billion” in annual U.S. aid to Israel, and the sharing of intelligence and technology with the Israeli military.
“I think those are all valid questions, because we have to be about our own business first and foremost. We have to be about our own priorities first and foremost,” he adds.
However, if American interests “align with Israel,” Kolvet sees that as a positive.
“I certainly don't think we should be asking that same question when it comes to Hamas, for example, right? ... There's no moral equivalency between the two,” he says. “But we also have to just be really up front that we have domestic issues that we need to get done and we need to accomplish or we're going to lose this country and the West will fall if America does not get this right.”
He laments the reality that the conservative base’s division over Israel has “poured into the story of Charlie.”
Ultimately, TPUSA stands for two basic principles, says Kolvet: “Reject Jew-hate,” but “be about our own business first” and then address “geopolitics and foreign policy.”
To hear more, watch the video above.
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'More people are realizing they are being lied to, not by the government or TurningPoint, but by people desperate for clicks and revenue.'
Whether Tyler Robinson will stand trial for the assassination of Charlie Kirk won't be decided until September.
Judge Tony Graf will make a determination as to whether this case will go to trial Friday after a review of all evidence entered.
Tyler Robinson turning himself in to authorities and Lance Twiggs' interview with law enforcement were focal points during Wednesday's hearing.
The court admitted video evidence showing a man alleged to be Robinson jumping off the roof with a long, rifle-like object in his hand concealed by a cloth.
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