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(NewsNation) — Lawmakers, Trump administration officials and other dignitaries on Sunday honored the memory of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk during a prayer vigil that reached capacity at the Kennedy Center.
Those attending include House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. More than 80 members of Congress were also on hand.
“Some of the most powerful people on planet Earth are in this room tonight, all because Charlie had an indelible impact on their lives, the same way that he had on your lives,” Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman, a longtime friend of Kirk’s, told audience members at the beginning of the event.
Kirk was fatally shot Wednesday at a campus event in Utah as he began a nationwide tour that was to feature him debating students with different political ideologies.
Johnson, in his remarks, said Kirk's legacy will be "immeasurable," though his life was short.
“People are very saddened. They’re very angry. They’re — many people are afraid,” Johnson told “Fox News Sunday.”
“It cast a shadow across the country and certainly on Capitol Hill. But as Erika [Kirk] said so well, so clearly, our friend Charlie would not want us to be consumed by despair. He would want us to carry his message forward, and that’s exactly what is going to happen,” he added.
The overflow crowd at Charlie Kirk's prayer vigil at Kennedy Center. (Kevin Bohn)Separate vigils were being held Sunday across the country.
A memorial service for Kirk is set for Sept. 21 in Glendale, Ariz., and President Trump has said he would attend.
Early in his second term, Trump remade the Kennedy Center board and appointed himself board chair. He criticized the institution’s previous programming as “out of control,” arguing it showcased performances with “rampant political propaganda.”
This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.
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