Scalise Remembers Charlie Kirk’s Legacy

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier to discuss the horrific assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. Leader Scalise highlighted Charlie's enduring legacy and how he led by example - engaging in thoughtful discourse, never violence.

Click hereor the image above to view Leader Scalise's full interview.

Excerpts from Leader Scalise's interview:

On the assassination of Charlie Kirk:

"Sad day, a lot of anger, frankly. My prayers are with the family of Charlie. I mean, he's got a wife, young kids, obviously, his parents, close friends. Charlie was such an inspirational person. I mean, you saw that brought thousands of people out on the college campus there at Utah Valley [University], would do that all around the country. And somebody who really talked about a civil discourse. Let's go debate. You might think differently than me, and there's nothing wrong with that. Let's talk it out. And you just go prove your point. I'm going to talk about what I believe in. And that's what America is about. And I think, Bret, that's the biggest concern is that there are some people that think that political violence is a way to shut other people down. That is not what America is, and it can't ever become that."

On condemning violence:

"It's clear that it was, as the governor depicted, a political assassination. When you have somebody at a distance on a rooftop, whether it was 200 yards away, but clearly a high-powered rifle in one shot, meaning they were intending to take out Charlie. It's alarming. Again, it angers you, it disgusts you, but there's no doubt that was the intention. We will find out more. I'm glad the FBI is working so closely with law enforcement, and they're moving swiftly to get answers and ultimately to bring those responsible to justice.

"Well, the message should be, number one, let's look in the mirror for sure. Everybody ought to know what makes our country great is that we do have political differences and we can express them. But how do you express them, Bret? You express them vocally. You can vote, by the way. Part of the most powerful way you can express differences is by voting. But violence is not the answer. Any kind of violence, whether it's shooting, stabbing, hitting somebody, that's not the way we resolve our differences. Everybody ought to denounce that, Bret. I think that's the first thing we all should do is denounce what just happened to Charlie Kirk, regardless of what you think of his politics, that nobody should think that's okay. For anybody who's thinking of doing something like that, go just check what the foundation in this country is really about, and it's not that."

On Charlie's legacy:

"He's a one of one. Charlie was an inspirational person. Charlie was a visionary. Charlie really saw as a student, he recognized as a student on a college campus that something's going wrong on college campuses where they're trying to indoctrinate, not educate people. Ultimately, he walked away from that because he didn't feel like it was worth his time to stay there. He wanted to go and do something about it. That's when he started Turning Point USA. He actually started a movement. How many young people do that? Not many. Takes a very special person, frankly, a person that is able to inspire other people, which Charlie did, to bring people into that movement. He brought them first by the tens and then by the hundreds and ultimately by the thousands in campuses all across this country. Charlie's gone, and it's going hurt all of us. But his legacy will never be forgotten. We can't let that movement die because it's so important that young people feel attached to what they believe in and not be afraid to express it, whether it's on a college campus or supporting a candidate of their choice."