Rep. Cleaver’s Statement on Charlie Kirk Resolution

September 19, 2025 Press Release (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement on the Charlie Kirk Resolution. “As John Donne said in his famous poem, ‘any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.’ “I reject and resent the savagery of the man who killed Charlie Kirk. When we resort to violence as a means of expressing opposition to another’s politics, we are actually downgrading our own. I condemn political violence in all forms and from all perpetrators, including the heinous murder of Mr. Kirk. “Mr. Kirk’s statements about African American women and other Black people demands me to reject his racial insensitivity. Therefore, because I fundamentally disagreed with many of Mr. Kirk’s views, I voted against today’s resolution on the grounds that it lionized a legacy I cannot support.” ### Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.