Members of Congress are beginning to pull back on outdoor events following the Utah Valley University deadly shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk — a sign of the widespread fear among elected officials amid the current surge of political violence.
Democratic Reps. Delia Ramirez of Illinois and Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California both moved press conferences indoors Thursday that were originally scheduled to be convened outside the Capitol, with at least Kamlager-Dove’s relocation motivated by security concerns, according to a person granted anonymity to share private deliberations.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also said she had rescheduled a planned weekend rally in North Carolina, out of respect but also safety.
“Even this weekend, prior to what happened, we had decided on maintaining it an indoor event because the nature of escalation has been gradually increasing,” she told reporters. “After yesterday’s event, we’ve postponed.”
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer said it was necessary for Congress to review its protocols for outdoor events in light of both the Kirk shooting and the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump during a July 2024 campaign rally.
Both men were targeted from roofs, the Kentucky Republican noted, while reflecting on lawmakers’ own vulnerability.
“You could have lots of individual security and not notice someone laying down on the rooftop. I mean, you look around, I’ve never even thought about it … Two hundred yards away is the Library of Congress roof. That’s how far away that guy was,” Comer told reporters. “I think the outdoor events, especially, members are going to really have to start thinking about security.”
Kirk’s murder has sparked new calls to increase security for members and their families, including through new funding. But Comer wondered whether it would do any good.
“Someone said you need to increase the security budget. You could have had all the security in the world and not notice that,” Comer said, referring to the scenario of a rooftop shooter. “That’s like a Secret Service kind of security, and members aren’t going to have that. So hopefully the temperature will be turned down in America, and we can have a little more civility in our political rhetoric.”
