{"id":688,"date":"2025-09-17T18:09:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T18:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globaltaalenthq.com\/?p=688"},"modified":"2025-09-22T09:00:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T09:00:19","slug":"comer-invites-online-forum-operators-to-testify-after-charlie-kirk-assassination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globaltaalenthq.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/17\/comer-invites-online-forum-operators-to-testify-after-charlie-kirk-assassination\/","title":{"rendered":"Comer invites online forum operators to testify after Charlie Kirk assassination"},"content":{"rendered":"

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) on Wednesday invited the leaders of Discord, Reddit, Twitch and Steam to testify before the full committee next month in the wake of the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.<\/p>\n

The hearing will focus on \u201cthe radicalization of online forum users, including instances of open incitement to commit politically motivated acts,\u201d the committee announced on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Comer sent letters on Wednesday to Discord CEO Humam Sakhnini, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, Twitch Interactive CEO Dan Clancy and Valve Corporation President Gabe Newell to request their testimony at the hearing on Oct. 8.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk claimed the life of a husband, father, and American patriot,\u201d Comer wrote in a statement announcing the hearing. \u201cIn the wake of this tragedy, and amid other acts of politically motivated violence, Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo prevent future radicalization and violence, the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit must appear before the Oversight Committee and explain what actions they will take to ensure their platforms are not exploited for nefarious purposes,\u201d Comer continued.<\/p>\n

A Discord spokesperson told The Hill that they\u00a0\u201cwelcome the opportunity\u201d to testify next month.<\/p>\n

“We have received the Committee\u2019s invitation and welcome the opportunity to testify. We continuously engage with policymakers on these critical issues and look forward to continuing this important dialogue next month,\u201d the spokesperson said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The Hill has reached out to the\u00a0other\u00a0organizations for a response.<\/p>\n

Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at an event last week at Utah Valley University. State officials are seeking the death penalty<\/a> in the case against 22-year-old suspect<\/a> Tyler Robinson.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, The Washington Post<\/a> reported that Robinson appeared to confess to the killing in a Discord chat room hours before he was taken into custody by the FBI.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey guys, I have bad news for you all,\u201d Robinson said, according to the Post. \u201cIt was me at [Utah Valley University] yesterday. im sorry for all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Post reported that Discord provided a copy of the message to authorities, citing a person familiar with the matter. Discord has said that an internal investigation found \u201cno evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord.\u201d<\/p>\n

FBI Director Kash Patel said during congressional testimony<\/a> on Tuesday that his agency is \u201cinvestigating anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat.\u201d<\/p>\n

In another report from The New York Times, the suspect allegedly said, in a separate Discord chat on Thursday, that a \u201cdoppelganger\u201d was trying to \u201cget me in trouble,\u201d when pressed by a forum user about physical similarities he shared with the person depicted in police photos of the wanted shooter.<\/p>\n

The Times reported that chat had 20 users. But Patel said Tuesday that the FBI is pursuing \u201ca lot more\u201d than 20 users, adding, \u201cWe\u2019re running them all down.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Reddit spokesperson told The Hill that the company is investigating whether the suspect was active on its platform, but so far has not found any evidence to suggest he was. The spokesperson did not comment on the upcoming hearing.<\/p>\n

Updated at 5:11 p.m. EDT<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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