Sen. Kelly blames social media, rhetoric coming out of D.C. for a rise in political violence

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly joined Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis in blaming social media and rhetoric coming out of Washington, D.C., for a rise in political violence in America.

The senators spoke about the issue at town hall Wednesday at Utah Valley University, where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated two months ago.

Early on in the discussion with CNN’s Dana Bash, Kelly lamented Kirk’s death and expressed sympathy for his family.

“I did not agree with him on much, but I'll tell you what, I will go to war to fight for his right to say what he believes,” Kelly said.

Kelly and Curtis agreed that Americans need to become better at disagreeing without becoming disagreeable.

“You can have a relationship with somebody in your family, at work, in your community, and you can be on different sides of an issue. That's OK,” Kelly said.

Both senators blamed social media for a rise in political divisions in the country, saying algorithms employed by social media companies are designed to amplify controversy to boost engagement.

“When your kids log on, your 14-year-old daughter logs on, you have the whole power of the computer world and AI trying to show her, or our sons, something that will aggravate them, that will tease them, that will make them stay on there longer,” Curtis said.

Curtis and Kelly said they support proposed legislation that would hold those companies liable for amplifying harmful information.

They also said elected officials need to do a better job modeling good behavior for their constituents and avoiding violent or dehumanizing rhetoric.

And Kelly said President Donald Trump is at the top of that list, pointing to comments the president made at Kirk’s memorial that, “I hate my opponents,” shortly after Erika Kirk forgave the man accused of killing her husband.

“He's the president of the United States. People listen to him. They act on his words. More than anybody else in our country, Donald Trump's words matter,” Kelly said.