Analyst Matthew Dowd loses his MSNBC job following Kirk comments; reporter in Florida suspended

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Political analyst Matthew Dowd is out of a job at MSNBC after his on-air comment following conservative activist Charlie Kirk's killing about “hateful words" leading to “hateful actions.”

MSNBC said Thursday that Dowd, a paid political analyst, is “no longer with the network.” Both MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler and Dowd issued public apologies following his commentary, which drew a heated reaction online.

Dowd said shortly after the shooting Wednesday that Kirk was a divisive figure “who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which lead to hateful actions. And I think that's the environment we're in.”

Kutler posted an online apology for Dowd's commentary, which she called “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”

“There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise,” she said.

Dowd, on his Bluesky account, noted that he was asked a question by anchor Katy Tur about the nation's political environment.

“I apologize for my tone and words,” Dowd said. “Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this attack. Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind.”

Dowd, once a political strategist for President George W. Bush, joined MSNBC in 2022 following a failed campaign for lieutenant governor in Texas as a Democrat. He spent nearly 15 years as an analyst at ABC News.

Meanwhile, a reporter for the Floridapolitics.com news site was suspended for texting a Florida congressman a question about whether he was rethinking his position on gun control immediately after Kirk's shooting. Peter Schorsch, Floridapolitics.com publisher, said he was concerned reporter A.G. Gancarski was trying to provoke a source rather than initiate a serious policy question.

U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, a Florida Republican, texted back that he had learned of Kirk's shooting only 23 minutes earlier and was repulsed to get the question when people should be praying for Kirk's safety. “Never contact me again,” Fine wrote.

Schorsch said he agreed that the timing was inappropriate, and didn't want any of his staff members to be put in danger by anyone angry about it.

“I think everybody today should be asking questions about a wide range of policies,” Schorsch said. “But when a house is on fire, I don't think you should ask questions about a person's insurance policy. You put out the fire first.”

He said Gancarski was a good reporter who made a mistake. He'll be back on the job after a few days out.

Gancarski, reached by phone, declined comment.

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AP correspondent Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.