Anti-Christian extremism, assassination culture linked to plot against Erika Kirk: report
Jacob Wenske, 26, was charged in late May with one count of making a terroristic threat against Kirk.
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Jacob Wenske, 26, was charged in late May with one count of making a terroristic threat against Kirk.
A new report has revealed that anti-Christian extremism and "assassination culture" could have fueled a recent assassination attempt that targeted the widow of Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk, who is now leading Turning Point USA. The report comes as threats against public officials have increased.
Jacob Wenske, 26, was charged in late May with one count of making a terroristic threat involving public fear of serious bodily injury or public disruption after he allegedly planned to bomb a Turning Point USA event where Kirk was set to speak as the keynote.
At the time, he wrote in an email to Turning Point USA that he was targeting Kirk as well as other "Christian nationalists," according to police documents. The suspect had also posted multiple threats on social media in addition to the email, according to the Fox News.
The threats against Kirk allegedly from Wenske emerge as there have been a record number of threats against members of Congress as well as other political figures in the US. According to the US Capitol Police Threat Assessment, there was a 58 percent increase in threats against members of Congress from 2024 to 2025.
A research lab that studies how radical ideologies go through social media, the Network Contagion Research Institute, analyzed how the threats against Kirk and how a “permission structure” leads to the threats taking place.
"What we're seeing is a massive influx of foreign malign influence that is truly shaping the Western world right now, particularly through social media," Travis Hawley, an intelligence analyst at the Network Contagion Research Institute told the outlet. “What you could call our digital diet is really shaping how people see ourselves, our values, our country, and even our history."
"And there are many countries, organizations, and wealthy individuals, whether it's [Neville Roy] Singham in China, who are really pushing or putting their thumb on the scale, trying to push us and accelerate us into violence, dystopian even, and a civil unrest type of environment," Hawley added. "This is really concerning and really showing how democracy actually has a weakness if it is not protected."
The targeting of Kirk comes nine months after her own husband was assassinated on Utah Valley University campus. Tyler Robinson has been charged with murder in the case and is facing the death penalty.
It also comes after the case of the UnitedHealthcare CEO assassination, allegedly carried out by Luigi Mangione. The alleged assassin has gotten swells of support from radical left-wing groups and activists. His legal fund has also collected over $1.5 million.
The “permission structure” gives people the excuse to commit acts of violence that would normally be considered unacceptable in civil society. The Network Contagion Research Institute found in a study in 2025 that 38 percent of US adults considered it “somewhat justified” to murder President Donald Trump. For those that were identified as left of center, that figure was 55 percent.
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