‘Horrific choice’: Utah Valley University nailed with backlash for choosing Charlie Kirk critic as commencement speaker

The university where Charlie Kirk was shot and killed is facing intense scrutiny for a tone-deaf choice for commencement speaker.

Just hours after his death, educator Sharon McMahon accused Kirk of harming minorities, but she will be given the honor of addressing graduates at Utah Valley University.

‘To many Americans, especially if you are Black, LGBTQ or Muslim, Charlie Kirk was not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses.’

“Millions of people feel they were harmed, and the murder that was horrific and should never have happened does not magically erase what was said or done,” McMahon wrote about Kirk soon after his death. “To many Americans, especially if you are Black, LGBTQ or Muslim, Charlie Kirk was not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses.”

Turning Point USA chapter president at Utah Valley University Caleb Chilcutt lashed out at UVU while speaking on “Fox & Friends” Monday.

“They could have brought any other speaker. If they liked Charlie, didn’t like Charlie — I honestly don’t really care. But the fact they brought someone who was so critical, literally days after his assassination, on my campus is just shameful for me,” Chilcutt said.

Former Republican Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz called McMahon a “liberal hack” that was a “horrific choice” for commencement speaker.

“Look, there’s still time to correct this. This hasn’t happened. And if the university is gonna step up and do the right thing, they’re gonna cancel her and put in somebody like an astronaut or an athlete or somebody, anybody,” Chaffetz said on Fox News.

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“But this person, this partisan hack, she should not be addressing the students, not at the commencement,” he added.

TPUSA students weighed in on social media.

“After Charlie Kirk’s murder, Sharon McMahon chose to explain the hate, not condemn it,” TPUSA’s statement reads. “A commencement speaker is more than a guest, they’re a reflection of what a university stands for.”

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