The late conservative Charlie Kirk's flagship organization, Turning Points USA, is facing internal strife without him.
The New Republic's Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling noted Tuesday that a civil war has broken out during the first public event without the group's leader, which she warned is "already a mess."
Kirk, who was shot and killed in Utah last month, leaving behind a wife and two children, was set to run the AmericaFest summit in December.
At issue is Tucker Carlson, a longtime ally to the right, who has fallen out of favor with some due to his vocal opposition to Israel.
Carlson "has been a thorn in the side of the organization’s fundraising efforts for some time now," the report said.
Far-right personality Candace Owens published text messages she exchanged with Kirk in which the group's founder was unsure about whether to let Carlson take the stage. TPUSA has confirmed the text messages are authentic.
“Just lost another huge Jewish donor,” Kirk wrote. “$2 million a year because we won’t cancel Tucker.”
The New York Times believes the donor is Robert Shillman, a tech billionaire who supports Israel.
“Jewish donors play into all the stereotypes,” Kirk said in another text to Owens.
Houghtaling noted that The Bulwark reported on the civil war because other anti-Israel voices are participating in the event, like Jack Posobiec and Steve Bannon.
“No, it’s not good that Carlson, Bannon, Posobiec, and [Texas Attorney General Ken] Paxton are speaking at TPUSA’s AmFest in December,” tweeted Kimberly Ross, a contributor at the conservative Washington Examiner. “It’s bad, actually. The cancer should be cut out.”
