Seattle LGBTQ activist who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination files for protective order against journalist who exposed him

In a petition filed September 24 and certified October 16, 2025, in King County Superior Court, Ashiofu claimed that Choe “targeted” him through “doxxing,” “video content,” and “direct harassment.” He alleged Choe published “personally identifiable information without my consent” and that he feared “retaliation.”

The filing asked the court to order Choe to stay 1,000 feet away from his workplace and residence, avoid all contact, and surrender any firearms. It also checked a “hate crime” box, though no evidence of biased motivation was provided.

Choe rejected the allegations as absurd and politically motivated. “I have never met Ashiofu in my entire life. Couldn't point him out in a lineup. I have zero interest in being near him,” Choe said. “But as a member of Seattle's LGBTQ Commission and a key endorser of Katie Wilson's campaign, he's fair game for criticism. I simply exposed his own words and vile statements he made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. This is not harassment. This is accountability journalism.”

Choe’s reporting centered on posts in which Ashiofu wrote following the assassination of Kirk, “Ding ding the witch is gone” beside a photo of the conservative icon and added, “He was a scumbag and karma played out.” Ashiofu also criticized Democrats who offered condolences to Kirk’s family.

Ashiofu is a prominent progressive activist in Seattle politics, describing himself as a “government affairs liaison” for the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and serving on the city’s LGBTQ Commission. He is also a member of the National Federation of Stonewall Democrats and previously ran unsuccessfully for Seattle City Council against Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth.

Choe noted that Ashiofu currently works as a “fashion consultant” for socialist mayoral candidate Katie Wilson, who has not distanced herself from his comments or rejected his endorsement. Choe reached out to Wilson's campaign, the city of Seattle, and the Urban League for comment and to see if Ashiofu would face any disciplinary action, but received no response.

“Ashiofu has already blocked me on X,” Choe wrote in a follow-up thread. “I had no idea who this guy even was before digging into this story about his unwise posts.”

Ashifu also claimed in the filing, "Later that same week, while I was attending a public event near Rainier Avenue in Seattle, Jonathan Choe confronted me in person. His behavior was aggressive and harassing, escalating the intimidation I had already endured online. This in-person encounter was not only unwelcome but deeply unsettling, especially given the prior online targeting."

However, video shows the entire encounter, and Ashifo is nowhere to be seen.

The case underscores growing tension between political activism and press freedom in Seattle’s polarized climate. Critics warn that harassment orders are increasingly being used as tools to intimidate journalists who publish unflattering information about public figures.

Choe said he will fight the order, calling it “a dangerous precedent for free speech.”

“This isn’t harassment,” he said. “It’s journalism, and I’m not going to be bullied into silence.”