Members of Congress were petrified Wednesday night that political violence would only worsen after the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday evening.

"I'm wondering, Congressman, your reaction to what happened today," said Cooper.

"There was a real pall over the House floor this afternoon when we learned that Charlie Kirk had passed away, and it didn't really matter whether you're Republican or Democrat," said Goldman. "I didn't know Charlie Kirk personally. I followed some of what he said. I disagreed with almost everything he said, but he was exactly what our politics is all about, which is an exchange of ideas. The desire to convince others, to persuade others that your view of whatever a situation is, whatever policy is, is the right one. And this is heartbreaking. It's absolutely heartbreaking."

Not only are members of Congress saddened, he continued, "but to some degree, I think we're all scared. This is escalating. This is not going the other direction. We saw the shootings in Minnesota not too long ago ... and I think we can all and should all agree that we should work out our differences in the public square. And that's how our system should work. But the idea that you would disagree with someone to such a degree that you would commit violence against them is, is just beyond the pale. And I don't have a solution for how it will stop or should stop, but it really has to stop."

"That's certainly not the message we're hearing from some in the sort of far-right, you know, podcasting sphere, who make money off of this, but off this kind of rhetoric," noted Cooper. "I mean, they're talking about war, that there's a war targeting conservatives."

"Yeah, look, it's — that is incredibly dangerous. I am really, really disappointed," said Goldman. "I would really urge the President of the United States to speak out against that. I don't view this as an issue of the right or the left. I think we've seen political violence, you know, on both sides of the spectrum."

"I hope these far-right podcasters come to their senses and recognize that this is not war," he added. "We are Americans at bottom, and we may be Republicans, we may be Democrats, but we don't — we do not divide this entire country based on political ideology. And we can't do that. And we have to come back and remember that we are all Americans, in the greatest country on Earth, and that we may disagree on how we move forward, but we all want our country to move forward."

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President Donald Trump honored MAGA ally Charlie Kirk on Wednesday night after Kirk's "heinous assassination" in Utah, calling the conservative a "martyr for truth and freedom" before blaming progressive rhetoric for the ambush.

"To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah," Trump said in a video message from the White House posted to his Truth Social platform. "Charlie inspired millions, and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror."

Trump called Kirk a "patriot" dedicated to pushing open debate and championing the United States.

"He fought for liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people. He’s a martyr for truth and freedom, and there has never been anyone who was so respected by youth," said Trump.

Trump noted Kirk was deeply religious and offered his prayers with Kirk's wife, Erica, their two young children, and his entire family.

"We ask God to watch over them in this terrible hour of heartache and pain," said Trump.

The president, who faced two assassination plots last year, called the shooting a "dark moment for America."

"It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible," he said.

Trump took an opportunity to bash progressives, railing that the "radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals."

"This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now," said the president.

Authorities have not apprehended the suspected assassin in the shooting, and no motive has been released. Trump vowed that his administration would find everyone involved in Kirk's slaying, as well as any others involved in political violence, including any organizations that support it. He also threatened to go after people who target judges, law enforcement, and anyone else who "brings order to our country."

He asked all Americans to "commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died. The values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law, and the patriotic devotion and love of God."

"An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed, because together we will ensure that his voice, his message, and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come," said Trump. "Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before. And it’s not even close."

Trump himself is no stranger to violent rhetoric. Political scientists who analyzed Trump’s campaign and presidential speeches for nine years beginning in 2015 found a "striking trend" that his "violent vocabulary" had sharply climbed.

"The share of words associated with violence rose from almost 0.6% in 2016 to 1.6% in 2024 in Trump’s speeches. As a comparison, the proportion of violent words in 40 randomly chosen weekly radio addresses by Barack Obama was 0.79%," the analysts found.

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A former leader in the FBI said Wednesday night the agency was "back to square one" after authorities released a "subject" who had been taken into custody in connection with the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, 31, was the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization. He was shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the agency had a suspect in custody just a few hours after the shooting. However, media reports indicate that the authorities let that person go.

Andrew McCabe, the former FBI deputy director, joined CNN's Anderson Cooper on "AC360" on Wednesday to discuss the case.

"They're really back at square one with the release of the person of interest," McCabe said. "So, they are back to assessing what they believe the shooter's perch to have been, whether that's the space on the roof that we've seen, not really roped off. We haven't seen a whole lot in terms of evidence collection there."

"And if not, then they should be looking at every single vantage point that could have been used," McCabe said.

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