{"id":2886,"date":"2025-09-26T11:07:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=2886"},"modified":"2025-09-26T11:08:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T11:08:39","slug":"did-israel-kill-charlie-kirk-five-takeaways-from-the-floodgate-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2025\/09\/26\/did-israel-kill-charlie-kirk-five-takeaways-from-the-floodgate-podcast\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Israel Kill Charlie Kirk? Five Takeaways from The FloodGate Podcast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.palestinechronicle.com\/did-israel-kill-charlie-kirk-five-takeaways-from-the-floodgate-podcast\/\">Did Israel Kill Charlie Kirk? Five Takeaways from The FloodGate Podcast<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.palestinechronicle.com\/2025\/09\/\">September 25, 2025<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.palestinechronicle.com\/category\/articles\/\">Articles<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.palestinechronicle.com\/category\/articles\/features\/\">Features<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Did Israel K*@l Charlie Kirk? W\/ Robert Inlakesh\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3ZPlro5vZyo?start=402&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.palestinechronicle.com\/writers\/romana-rubeo\">Romana Rubeo<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RomanaRubeo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ramzy Baroud and Robert Inlakesh unpack Charlie Kirk\u2019s assassination, highlighting his deep ties to Zionist donors, signs of a political shift, Israel\u2019s propaganda crisis, Netanyahu\u2019s denials, and the challenge of navigating disinformation.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The assassination of American conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has sent shockwaves through US politics and beyond.&nbsp;His death sparked not only grief and outrage, but also fierce debate about his ties to Israel, his relationship with Zionist donors, and whether he was beginning to shift away from the staunchly pro-Israel stance that shaped much of his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a recent episode of The FloodGate Podcast, investigative journalist and analyst Robert Inlakesh examined Kirk\u2019s trajectory, his connections to the donor networks of David Horowitz, and the wave of theories that have followed the killing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking with Palestinian journalist and editor of the Palestine Chronicle, Ramzy Baroud, Inlakesh also reflected on Israel\u2019s influence operations in the United States, the unusual response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the broader challenge of navigating disinformation in such a politically charged case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are five takeaways from their conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Horowitz Machine<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Inlakesh argued that Kirk\u2019s rise was no accident. He described Kirk as the direct product of David Horowitz\u2019s political machine, built on a web of Zionist donors and right-wing think tanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cCharlie Kirk is really the product of the David Horowitz Freedom Center and the interconnected web of donors and think tanks\u2026 At the center of it was David Horowitz.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Kirk himself acknowledged the centrality of these networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen (Horowitz) passed away, Charlie Kirk himself said that Turning Point USA \u2014 all those original donors, about 90% of them \u2014 came through the connections that David Horowitz provided,\u201d Inlakesh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Inlakesh, understanding this network is essential to understanding not only Kirk\u2019s political trajectory, but also the broader constellation of right-wing influencers shaped by Horowitz\u2019s money:&nbsp;\u201cThese narratives and this rhetoric were really, at least started, and the initial push came from David Horowitz and these Zionist donors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Signs of a Shift: Tactical or Genuine?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>While Kirk never publicly broke with Israel, Inlakesh suggested that a shift was underway. Those close to him \u2014 including Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens \u2014 testified to an evolution in his views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCharlie Kirk never came out and stood against Israel \u2014 that would be a mischaracterization. But we do know from people close to him\u2026 There was a sort of evolution in his views. Not to say he was going to oppose Israel, but he was starting to criticize,\u201d Inlakesh said, explaining that this reflected broader trends among young conservatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cHe was starting to come closer to his base, which is the Republican youth. And we know the vast majority of them are now \u2014 the younger population \u2014 anti-Israel. It reflects what has happened with public opinion\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Reports also surfaced that Kirk feared his donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>American journalist \u201cMax Blumenthal\u2026 had sources claiming that Charlie Kirk was essentially scared of the Zionist donors and that he was trying to fight back and push back in some way. And he was undergoing a kind of evolution,\u201d Inlakesh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Question of Motive<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Inlakesh stressed that there is no evidence linking Israel to Kirk\u2019s death. However, he argued that Israel\u2019s aggressive information campaigns targeting US conservatives help explain why some believe a motive existed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf perhaps Kirk was turning on them\u2026 they founded Kirk. They made him big. They funded Turning Point USA. And right now they have a campaign pouring millions into trying to capture the exact people Kirk has influence over,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Kirk moved away from this narrative, Israel could risk losing an entire generation of Republican youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIf he was going to pivot against them, this would collapse their whole propaganda strategy and they would lose at least the youth of the Republican Party and the conservative movement in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Netanyahu himself had acknowledged Israel\u2019s crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cNetanyahu publicly said that we\u2019re losing the information war\u2026 and the Israeli government then decided in July that they\u2019d pump millions and millions into this new PR campaign specifically targeting right-wing conservatives in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Netanyahu\u2019s Denials<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most striking developments was Netanyahu\u2019s decision to issue two video statements denying Israeli involvement. According to Inlakesh, such repeated denials only deepened suspicion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He wondered: \u201cIt\u2019s like if I walked past a murder in the street and no one\u2019s looking at me\u2026 But then I\u2019m like, \u2018I didn\u2019t do it. I didn\u2019t do it. I didn\u2019t do it.\u2019 Well, somebody\u2019s going to point at him. Why is he saying this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Israel\u2019s long history of assassinations worldwide also loomed large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cWith such a long track record of these kinds of extrajudicial killings across at least four different continents\u2026 people are going to ask the question, why are they denying it so vociferously?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>For Inlakesh, the spectacle of denial backfired: \u201cThey keep coming out and saying again and again, we didn\u2019t do it. We didn\u2019t do it. And it raises suspicions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Navigating Rumors<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Inlakesh concluded by urging caution and responsibility. He rejected both blind conspiracy and outright dismissal, arguing that journalists must carefully evaluate the evidence while acknowledging why suspicions arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inlakesh cautioned against unfounded conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have to reserve judgment\u2026 Would there be a motive? Sure. But we can\u2019t go forth and say Israel definitely did this with no evidence because it\u2019s just not credible at the end of the day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, he also said that \u201cit\u2019s good to address (theories) rather than just ridicule and push them to the side, because I don\u2019t think that does anyone any good. We shouldn\u2019t treat the public as if we have contempt for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The responsibility of independent media, he added, is to offer critical but honest analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cOur job should be to look at things critically, to assess them \u2014 not just to ridicule or take an ideological stance. The corporate media does that\u2026 They\u2019re stenographers. People don\u2019t trust them because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(The Palestine Chronicle)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.palestinechronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Rubeo_PROFILE_PC.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u2013 Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master\u2019s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did Israel Kill Charlie Kirk? Five Takeaways from The FloodGate Podcast September 25, 2025&nbsp;Articles,&nbsp;Features By&nbsp;Romana Rubeo&nbsp;&nbsp; Ramzy Baroud and Robert Inlakesh unpack Charlie Kirk\u2019s assassination, highlighting his deep ties to Zionist donors, signs of a political shift, Israel\u2019s propaganda crisis, Netanyahu\u2019s denials, and the challenge of navigating disinformation. The assassination of American conservative commentator Charlie [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,6,2,10,16,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-history","category-international-news","category-news","category-opinion","category-science-it-ai-military-war"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2886"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2889,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2886\/revisions\/2889"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}