Just when we thought Utah’s Governor Cox was trying to de-escalate things, he took a nosedive into a sea of misinformation and divisiveness.
It appears there was push-back from the Trump administration and on Sunday's Face the Nation Cox worked hard to bolster his MAGA cred. It would be only a sad and craven move if it weren't picked up by NBC and the New York Times (plus the usual right wing outlets), which amplified his statements. Responsible media would have fact-checked and filled in the missing details.
We can take Cox at his word that Tyler Robinson had a roommate getting gender-affirming care. This changes nothing about Robinson's culpability. He committed the heinous act on his own and he will face the consequences. If people on the right don't like to hear about dysfunctional families or poverty or other causes of crime, and if it really does come down to personal responsibility, then leave the roommate out of this. By all accounts, the roommate contacted the police after being asked by Robinson to retrieve the weapon, has been cooperating fully with the investigation, and was admittedly "aghast" at the shooting.
(A detail Cox left out is that Robinson had other friends and roommates. Add to that a large family espousing traditional values and a strong religious community and influences get murkier. If I had to point a finger it would be at an upbringing steeped in gun culture, years of gaming filled with violent images, and a steady diet of provocateurs saying our society's problem is too much empathy.)
Cox, as you may know, went even further. He stated that Robinson was in a romantic relationship with the roommate---now referred to as his "partner"---who was transitioning from male to female. Here he goes beyond the usual trans culprit, which is steroids. It's closer to the kind of accusation leveled against minorities throughout history, the proverbial poisoning of the well. But let's skip over that because it would be like calling Cox a fascist, a word which the authorities have said we can’t use anymore. Cox's blame-shifting is flat-out ridiculous based on what we know of the partner's actions.
Here’s the thing: a romantic relationship doesn’t matter even if it’s true. What Cox has really done is fanned the flames. It’s not only hypocritical, based on his earlier comments about wanting to turn down the temperature, it's dangerous. He is interfering with an ongoing investigation. He is endangering a person who is cooperating with law enforcement, and it's the kind of cooperation the public needs to understand what happened. I fear for the roommate's life and wouldn't be surprised if that person went into hiding and stopped talking altogether.
Then there’s the Governor’s comment about "leftist ideology". That is nothing but red-meat for extremists who want revenge and are waiting only for a target. Cox made that target a third to a half of our country!
I'm not sure what Cox means by leftist, and sadly he wasn't challenged by reporters. If it includes people who think Kirk's killing was abhorrent, count me a leftist. If it includes people who speak out against all senseless killing and want some kind of rational gun regulation, then I'm a leftist. And if it means wanting a country where there's rule of law with free and fair elections, where we try to rid ourselves of corruption in Washington, tame inflation, and give everyone decent and affordable medical care, well, it's quite possible for me to be a leftist and still be aghast at Kirk's murder.
Not that Mr. Cox will read this, but here goes: what you said is truly shameful. You started by praying that the killer is not "one of us", which is a remarkably polarizing statement on its own, and then you direct your vitriol and hatred toward someone already vulnerable. You've now created another victim of this horrible incident. You've dishonored yourself, your faith, the people you serve in Utah, and an America which so many of us are trying to heal.
