MAGA pastor claims 'God allowed' Charlie Kirk's killing to halt Israel criticism

The killing of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk last month has led to a long list of conspiracy theories, but for one pro-Trump pastor from Mississippi, Kirk’s death was the direct result of divine intervention, and one designed to protect Israel’s image in the United States.

Speaking on his podcast recently, Shane Vaughn, a conservative pastor and co-founder of First Harvest Ministries in Mississippi, said that “God allowed” Kirk’s killing, and provided his explanation as to why.

“They were turning Charlie against God's chosen people, and God said 'no, not today, you're too pure and you have too much influence, so I'm going to bring you before Satan, I'm going to let your testimony for the rest of your life be all the positive things you have said about Israel that's on record,’” Vaughn said.

Vaughn was making reference to recent reports that in his final weeks, Kirk had begun to break from his support for Israel. Right-wing influencer Candace Owens shared alleged texts written by Kirk just days before his killing in which he wrote that he was left with “no choice but to leave the pro Israel cause.” The texts were later confirmed as authentic by Andrew Kolvet, the spokesperson for Kirk’s conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA.

Vaughn, who once described President Donald Trump as a “man God anointed to save America,” suggested he believed that Kirk was turning against Israel, and that it was for precisely that reason that “God allowed” for him to be killed.

“See, there are no videos of him – except one – where he started questioning Israel,” Vaughn said. “Everything else is all positive [about] Israel, and isn't that funny? That's all that's left in the collective archive.”

That “one” video Vaughn referenced was likely Kirk’s appearance on Conservative media personality Megyn Kelly’s podcast in July, where he said he feels he has “less ability to criticize the Israeli government without backlash than actual Israelis do."